Into The Fray: Season Two
by Thunderslate
Summary: [Sequel to Into The Fray] Months after the events in Indianapolis, Vince's group continues their journey in a desperate attempt to find sanctuary.
1. EPISODE ONE - STATE OF DECAY

**Day 962 - Afternoon**

**Vince**

It had been eighty-seven days since they had found the list; Vince had been counting.

The tiny piece of paper Wyatt had shown him three months ago had been a beacon of promise and hope. On that day they had gained a list of settlements in the midwest, prompting them to set out on a journey to find a new home.

Things were not steady to begin with. After they had solved their immediate problems Wyatt and Vince realised they still shared some scorn for each other. Deep down Vince still blamed Wyatt for what had happened to the group in the past and the events that led up to a bandit attack. Wyatt resented Vince's bitterness towards him and they went without speaking to each other for a while. During this time Becca and Annie had to push them together before the group fell apart and their common goal eventually led to them re-establishing their friendship.

During that time the snows of early January had faded and given way to ice, which later melted and Spring rolled through. While Vince thought it to be late March or early April, it was still chilly enough for him to require the heavy coat he'd picked up back at the Eastland Mall – a location which happened to be their back up plan if all else failed and all of the settlements on Wyatt's list were a bust.

Which, so far, they had been. That was why Vince counted the days. Eighty-seven days of driving around in a truck on a wild goose chase. They kept running low on supplies, had to stock up and once they made it to a settlement they'd find it abandoned or empty. That meant they'd have to stock up somewhere again and try the next settlement on the list.

And that was exactly what Vince and Wyatt were doing that day; stocking up. They had left Becca with Annie in the truck while the two adults ventured into the Ohioan landscape to find anything of value. So far they'd only succeeded in attracting the attention of a group of skinny walkers – another thing for Vince to count – and all the regular buildings worth scavenging had been cleared out, which meant Vince and Wyatt had to settle for a museum.

The building was big and brown on the inside, the walls and ceilings covered with polished wood. As Vince and Wyatt strolled through a main aisle and admired the exhibits, the former noticed that a second floor crept around the upper half of the hall, almost like a gantry from which people would have been able to stare down on history from above. Though it would have been nice to see that many people again, Vince guessed that it was easier to see the exhibits if there weren't hundreds crowding around them.

All of a sudden, Wyatt stopped next to him and adjusted his glasses, a tiny shaft of light bursting through a hairline crack in the right lens. Vince squinted and scratched his chin as he waited, his facial hair messier and thicker than he would have liked.

"What're you doing?" He asked, no emotion audible in his voice.

Wyatt didn't instantly respond to the question. His head slowly tilted to the right as he stared down the hall and saw a counter at the end. "If we're gonna get anything here, it'll probably be in the gift shop, dude."

Vince looked down at his right hand, his fist closed around the handle of a machete. The thing had gotten him through a fair few scrapes, and he'd been able to reclaim it every time he'd been parted from it, forcefully or otherwise. He would have preferred to hold it in his left hand, but that appendage still pained him from an injury he'd procured during an all-out brawl against a particular bandit leader.

He slowly stepped down the hall after Wyatt, his feet making worrying echoes as they hit the cold wooden floor. "You know how these places are laid out, right?" he asked his companion, "I don't want to have to look at all the exhibits before we get to the gift shop."

Wyatt chuckled, "I'm in as much of a hurry as you are, dude." His head turned to look out of one of the tall windows that looked out onto the road. "I trust Becca to look after Annie and everything, but leaving either of them alone worries me."

"Gotta start treating Becca like an adult soon," Vince replied, "She'll be one in two or three years."

"Really?" Wyatt replied, "How old is she?" He turned and lowered his head in confusion, "No track of time... how old am _I_?"

"She was fifteen last time I checked." Vince confirmed as he found his way up to a counter at the end of the hall. Wyatt climbed over and looked around for any supplies on the other side. "I don't know when her birthday is, though." He smirked as something caught his eye. Light reflected off of a rack of watches with the museum's name printed on them. Vince picked up one of the devices and squinted as he looked at the numbers. "Shit, man, these things still work – _and _they have the date on them. Is it April already?"

Wyatt called to him from behind the counter. "I don't even know what year it is any more, dude. '05? '06?"

Vince paused in thought as Wyatt shuffled some more and spoke again. "Hey, dude, can you pass the bag over here? I've got some stuff but nowhere to put it."

Vince had forgotten that he was in possession of a backpack. He pulled it off of his shoulder and passed it absent-mindedly to Wyatt, his attention still invested in the watch. "I don't even care, I'm keeping this watch," he said, wrapping the thing around his wrist. "You want one?"

"I'm good, man." Wyatt replied. "Might wanna get one for Annie if they have a green one."

"What, is that her favourite colour?" Vince asked, finding a watch that was close enough to being the specified colour.

"Yeah," Wyatt strained as he climbed back over the counter, running his hand through his dirty blonde hair. "A lot of kids are annoying with that; changing what they like and don't like all the time-"

"Becca." Vince grunted bluntly.

"But if there's one thing Annie is," Wyatt continued, "She's consistent. She knows what she likes and what she doesn't, and that doesn't change."

"What did you get, anyway?" Vince asked. "From the counter, I mean."

"Not a lot. Energy bars, water, enough to keep us going until we reach the next place." Wyatt replied, handing the backpack to Vince and pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "That would be..." he drew out the last word as his eyes passed down the list. "...Fort Recovery."

"I don't know why we're still doing this." Vince admitted. "Fort Wayne was burned down by the time we made it there, Wellington wouldn't let us in because they were 'full'..."

"What's your point, dude?" Wyatt asked.

"Well," Vince replied, itching one of his eyebrows with his forefinger, "If those guys cleared out of the Outpost and left that list behind in the first place, were they planning on clearing off and going somewhere? And if so, where? I'm just sceptical about this whole thing."

"There's gotta be..." Wyatt started to speak until Vince cut him off, lifting his left hand, his eyes darting around the room. "Hear it?"

Wyatt was about to say no until a thumping and a rasping echoed through the hall. "Is that..?"

Vince looked to his right as he heard a creaking. About ten metres to their right a set of double doors was bulging out of place as walkers banged on it from the inside. Vince and Wyatt stood still for a few minutes until the creaking became too worrying to bear. As they turned and started towards the main doors of the building and the road beyond, Vince heard a worrying crack and a thump as the walkers knocked the door off of its hinges. He looked at Wyatt who returned a worried stare. Feeling his grip tighten around his machete, Vince took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw a concerning amount of walkers about to bear down on them.

"Shit," he gulped as he and Wyatt broke into a run. "Time to go."


	2. Keep On Trucking

**Day 962 - Afternoon**

**Becca**

A blue truck rested parallel to the curb, outside of the museum that Vince and Wyatt were exploring. Sitting cross-legged in the truck bed with her chin in her left palm, Becca found herself bored and tired. The routine of scouting, scavenging and ending up disappointed was starting to get to her. The group had been doing the same thing for months on end and they weren't profiting from it at all.

Becca leaned back and felt the back of her varsity jacket connect with the rear window of the truck. She scratched the scar on her left cheek and went to put her chin back in her right palm, before remembering what she was doing and switching hands. Her right hand was more of a hindrance than a useful appendage now. It was awkward and uncomfortable to use, and as she desperately tried to sleep each night she felt something tingle in the fingers that were no longer there. She longed to touch the missing digits and stamp out the annoyance, but considering her hand had been split in half after a bite, she would never be able to and the feeling was driving her insane. That was before she even took into account the bones that Vince's machete had annihilated when he'd disabled her to save her life.

To begin with Becca had resented Vince for what he'd done, but she'd come to accept that he'd saved her life. She'd never write again, she'd never draw again which pained her even more and she'd never play guitar which was immensely painful, but she'd live another day.

Becca glanced to her left, hit by sudden realisation as she snapped out of her train of thought. Next to her sat the seven-year-old girl named Annie, a child whom Wyatt had rescued months ago while their much larger group escaped a camp in Tennessee. Not long after Becca had lost her older sister, Shel, in a spiral of unfortunate events, she'd bonded with the younger child and eventually came to accept her as a surrogate sister of sorts - by no means a replacement for Shel, but someone that Becca could keep her mind on and prevent herself from descending into depression. She assumed that was what would happen if she spent too much time locked inside her own head.

Annie's shoulder was barely touching Becca's elbow. Her knees were pulled up towards her chest as she hugged her legs; atop the younger child's head sat a cyan coloured hat with a white stripe through it – Annie had been given it at some point by a dying group member, and she kept it to remember him by, even though they'd barely spoken. Though Annie's head was turned away as her cheek rested on her knee, Becca could see a curl of dark brown hair escaping the hole in the the hat which she wore backwards. Becca smirked at the look and gently rested her hand on Annie's shoulder.

"Hey," she said, "You okay?"

"Yeah." Annie said, her voice muffled as her knee pressed into her cheek. "Just... bored."

Becca understood what she meant – it was always the same. Every time two of the group left to search a building Annie would always end up left behind to worry and feel useless. "They'll be fine." Becca said reassuringly. "It's Vince and Wyatt, they've got us through worse than an old museum."

"Why don't they ever let me go?" Annie asked. "I wouldn't get in the way."

Becca smirked and put her arm around Annie's shoulder. "They're not worried about you getting in the way. They want you to be safe, so they make sure me or Wyatt is with you and they go in there. Every time they go in a place they risk running into trouble and they don't want to put you in harm's way." She leaned forward and looked at the tall windows of the museum, intrigued. "Then again, they have been a long time. Wanna go check it out?"

Annie sprang to life at the suggestion. "You mean... I can come?" The joy on her face was confusing; perhaps she really did want to go inside an abandoned museum, or maybe she just didn't want to be 'left out.'

"Well, I can't exactly leave you here, can I?" Becca grinned as she hopped over the side of the truck bed and felt her boots connect with the asphalt. Annie shot to the side of the truck and attempted to copy Becca's manoeuvre, only to succeed in getting stuck. Becca sighed and grabbed Annie beneath the armpits, lifting her off of the truck with a great deal of strain. Once that was done she took a deep breath and walked over to the cab of the vehicle, grimacing at the ugly bloodstains that ran down the pickup's flank. She had witnessed the torment that had led to those marks; some of the blood was her own, but water was too precious to waste on cleaning the vehicle.

Becca opened the door on the driver's side and grabbed a pistol from inside. She tucked it into the waist of her jeans and returned to Annie, who was waiting nervously, uncertainty visible on her face. Becca bent her knees so that her head was in line with Annie's. She smiled, straightened the hat on Annie's head and then put her arm behind the girl's back, guiding her in the right direction.

"You'll be fine, just stay where I can see you." Becca warned. Annie nodded energetically as Becca asked her to move onto her right side. Once Annie followed the order, Becca used her left hand to retrieve the pistol from the waist of her jeans. She supported her left hand with her right – about all it was good for any more – and walked forwards, keeping Annie in sight at all times. If anything happened to the kid on her watch she'd never be able to forgive herself – and neither would Vince and Wyatt.

Becca and Annie made their way towards the windows of the museum. Becca gestured for Annie to look through while she scanned the area. "See anything?" She asked.

"Nope." Annie said.

"Damnit," Becca replied, "Why is it never easy?" She adjusted her arms as Annie returned from the window, already tired from lifting her pistol. "We're gonna have to go in and check."

Annie nodded in understanding and they crept towards the double doors which had remained open ever since the adults had ventured inside. "Ten minutes," Vince had said. "We'll be out in ten minutes. Any longer and we might be in trouble."

It had been almost twenty minutes.

Becca took a tentative step into the museum, pistol held aloft as Annie crept along beside her. She took another step, then a third before she stopped and hesitated, the sides of her vision blocked out by exhibits and artefacts.

"Shit." She groaned.

"What is it?" Annie asked, detecting not only the disdain in Becca's voice, but the latent fear as well. It didn't take long for Annie to recognise the chorus of moaning dead that probably infested the museum.

Becca's first instinct was to cry out to Vince and warn him if he didn't already know, but she held her tongue even though it almost pained her to do so. She grimaced and took a fourth step, the blind spots on either side of her vision disappearing. Instantly her eyes widened as she saw twenty or more walkers to her left and right, shambling towards her and Annie.

Becca cursed again, and backed up. The walkers had noticed them, no doubt about that, but there was nowhere to hide. They couldn't get in the truck – the windscreen was cracked and if a walker put pressure on it the glass wouldn't take the weight, leaving them open to the dead.

They backed up further until Becca felt her back connect with the side of the truck. Annie whimpered in fear slightly as the walkers pushed towards the entrance of the museum. With no other option, Becca grimaced and fired at the nearest member of the dead, the bullet shattering its teeth and pinging up into its skull.

Becca fired twice more, killing two more walkers, and saw a flash behind the crowd. She heard grunting and cutting as she fired at the dead again, and sighed in relief as Vince's machete cut through a walker's skull. Carving his way through, Vince leapt towards her and then turned to face the pack of corpses again, slicing at them and creating a path for Wyatt. The other man stumbled past the dead, fear visible in his eyes, and ran straight for Annie. He wrenched the truck door open and made sure Annie was safely inside before diving in himself and putting the key into the ignition. Becca turned her attention back to the walkers and ended several more, though her aim was blocked occasionally when Vince would dive past to thrust his machete into a walker's head.

"Becca, Vince, get in the truck!" Wyatt called. Becca heeded the demand and vaulted over the side of the truck, landing harshly in the bed. Her pistol escaped her grasp and slid across the metal as she heard a walker approach the truck behind her. She reached for the pistol and tugged it towards her body as she felt her fingers brush against the grip.

As her hand closed around the weapon she swung her body around and fired, only to hear a devastating grunt of shock as Vince staggered forwards, the left side of his body thrust by the impact of the bullet. Becca barely had time to recuperate and kill the walker she had intended to.

"Vince!" She cried, "Get to the truck!"

Thankfully, Vince wasn't dead. She heard him breathing harshly through gritted teeth as his right hand rested on his shoulder and his left sliced weakly at the approaching walkers.

"Vince!" Becca cried, "_Vince!_"

She finally caught his attention and he backed up, lobbing his blade into the truck bed. He slowly crawled over the side of the vehicle, Becca pulling him in with both hands, and collapsed, blood spewing from his shoulder.

Becca slammed her fist on the top of the cab twice and, just like that, they were speeding down the road, away from the walkers.

Vince's eyes were closed in pain as he lay clutching his shoulder. Becca tried to get a better look but he put his hand out in an attempt to keep her away. "Get... off." He grunted, "I think... I think it went straight... through."

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there – I turned and meant to shoot a walker." Becca replied, terrified that she had sentenced Vince to death.

"It's not gonna kill me... I don't think so, anyway." Vince replied, and then sucked a deep breath through his teeth. "_Jesus Christ._"

He groaned in pain as Becca tried to help. She was no doctor. Pressing her palms into her forehead she crushed her eyes shut and racked her brain for any ideas. "Shit, shit, _shit!" _she cursed, "I-I don't know what to _do! _I'm sorry, I'm really sorry but I don't know how to help." She slammed her palms into her forehead, punishing herself. "I'm a stupid... _fucking_... _**moron**_!"

Vince hushed her. "Just let us get somewhere safe... and then we'll deal with it." He let out a harsh breath punctuated by pain as the blood kept dripping from his body. His eyes fell on her disfigured right hand and he smirked. "Hey... guess this... makes us even, though... right?"


	3. Out Of Gas

**Day 962 - Nightfall**

**Wyatt**

Wyatt tried to focus on the road as he drove the truck. The day had quickly gone from business as usual to a complete disaster. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened to Vince, but he presumed he'd been shot in the arm or somewhere else non-fatal. It had probably been a mistake – Becca wouldn't purposefully shoot him.

He looked to his right and saw Annie sleeping in the passenger seat, her cheek resting in her palm as she leaned against the window, her head bare as her hat rested in her lap. The sight took him back to the night he'd saved her from the walkers that broke into Carver's camp. The entire night he'd carried her everywhere because she wouldn't let go, and after the chaos had subsided and the group had cleared out in Carver's truck they'd finally introduced themselves and got along well – Wyatt understood children pretty well, having never really grown up himself.

Wyatt groaned as his eyes fell on the fuel gauge - the truck was running on empty. He was driving in the middle of nowhere, so it'd be a while before he found a gas station and even then there would be a high chance that all the fuel had been siphoned by people who had found the station before him. They _were _two or three years into the apocalypse now, and supplies had started to run worryingly low.

He sighed as he smoothly rounded a car that had been ditched. Maybe following the list of settlements he found wasn't as good a plan as he'd originally thought. Maybe it was worth going somewhere else – perhaps the mall they had scavenged from back in Indiana. That had been filled to the brim with supplies.

A sign appeared in his peripheral vision, cutting off his train of thought. Amongst other directions the sign read "Gas Station – 1 mile." Wyatt felt slightly more positive and turned a corner in the hope that they'd be able to fuel the truck and continue on their way rather than have to make a go of it on foot. Between himself, a seven-year-old, a teenager and a man with a bullet wound it didn't seem like an enticing prospect.

Annie stirred next to him and her eyelids fluttered as she awoke. "Hey, dude," Wyatt said calmly. "You okay?"

Annie yawned and nodded groggily. "Is Vince going to be okay?" she asked. Wyatt didn't know how to answer. From what he'd seen in the wing mirror of the truck Vince would probably be fine if they bandaged him up and gave him some time, but Wyatt knew from past experience that you could never be too sure. In the end he settled to reply with "Probably."

As he kept driving, Annie peered out of the window, staring at the fields beyond as they cruised down the road. "Where are we going?"

"For now, I'm gonna stop off and get us some gas." Wyatt said, his eyes on the road. "Hopefully it isn't all gone."

"I mean after that. Is there another place we can go?"

"Yeah, but... I don't know." He was still unsure. "Vince is hurt. What would you say about going back to that mall where we met Daniel and Lucia? It had a lot of supplies there."

Annie stuttered and then replied. "Aren't there dead people there?"

"It's been months, they probably cleared out. Man, imagine if we could seal that place down and make a go of it, though - we could start a whole community but do it the right way. I think the whole deal with Bill was that he did everything himself. If we spread out all the leader stuff we wouldn't get stressed out and end up like him." Wyatt said.

Annie was about to reply until Wyatt spotted the gas station and steered the vehicle into it. He stopped the truck and opened the door before realising there was an issue at hand. He couldn't go alone in case he got into trouble. He couldn't take Vince as he was too injured to cover him, and taking Becca would leave Annie and Vince vulnerable. Taking Annie would mean that Becca would be focus on Vince rather than her surroundings.

"Fuck it." He grimaced. "I'll take them all." He walked around the front of the vehicle and opened the passenger door to let Annie out. "I need you to come with me." He said. Annie didn't ask any questions and followed him as he walked to the truck bed. Becca was crouched in the back as Vince slumped beside her. He wasn't in good shape, his skin pale with dark bags under his eyes.

"Vince," Wyatt asked, "Can you get up?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Vince said, sitting up and exposing a makeshift bandage tied around his shoulder. "It's my arm, not my legs." Becca shot Wyatt a concerned look to which he replied, "We need to stick together if Vince is injured." He looked back at the gas station and saw a convenience store beside it. "Maybe we can spend the night in there."

Becca didn't look happy about it, but she hopped over the side of the truck and helped Vince out. Once all four members of the group were on their feet, Wyatt retrieved a jerrycan from the truck bed and then searched the cab for a pistol, finding one in the glove box. Once he climbed back out, the group slowly crept towards one of the pumps as Wyatt caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye.

"Shit." He grunted.

"Walkers?" Becca asked.

Wyatt nodded. "Keep an eye out," he warned as he held the container towards one of the pumps and aimed his gun aloft. "Okay, you take over, dude," he said, passing the gun to Becca. "I need two hands for this – shouldn't be longer than a minute."

As Becca accepted the weapon Wyatt heard a scuffling off feet. He turned his head away from the pumps, expecting to see a walker shrouded under the cover of the gas station. A man stood there instead, holding a rifle that was aimed at his chest. The man's face was masked by a neckerchief below some glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.

"You are encroaching on our territory." The stranger said. Wyatt lifted his arms in surrender and Annie followed suit, but Becca held the gun up to the stranger. "Okay, okay, listen, we just want some gas and then we're gone, okay, dude?" Wyatt said. 

"The gas is ours and you planned to steal it. You act as if that is acceptable." The man growled. "It is no different than taking our food or our lives."

Wyatt and the rest of the group backed up slightly. Before he knew it he felt the presence of another figure behind them. "You'd better do as we say." A second man warned. Wyatt turned his head and saw a fatter, hooded figure behind them.

Becca aimed at the second stranger. In response the first man pointed his rifle at Becca. "It would be wise to lower your pistol." He looked at Wyatt. "Tell the child to do as I say."

"Becca." Wyatt said, keeping his eyes on the man holding them at gunpoint. "We can't win this."

The fifteen-year-old reluctantly lowered her weapon and put it on the ground before putting her hands in the air. Vince only managed to lift one arm, his other pressed against his wound.

The hooded attacker looked at the first. "What do we do?"

"Get into the store." The first man ordered, swinging his rifle to the left to mirror his command. "We'll decide what to do with you there."

Wyatt hung his head in shame as he walked towards the convenience store. Any other chain of events would have ended better. Leaving Vince and Becca in the truck meant that they could provide cover for him. Leaving anyone would have let things play out better. Wyatt groaned to himself as his feet hit the ground, feeling the eyes of their attackers burning into his back.

It was all his fault.


	4. A Hard Decision

**Day 962 - Nightfall**

**Annie**

Annie shuddered as she followed Wyatt to the convenience store of the gas station, her hands behind her head as the two strangers held their rifles, ready to fire. Her breathing wavered as she desperately tried not to cry, remembering a similar series of events that had transpired a few months ago – events which had resulted in the deaths of more than one group member.

As the group slowly and sadly crept through the doors of the convenience store they were met with the usual post-apocalyptic sight; shelves pushed against the windows to reinforce them, wooden barricades nailed down tight, a single gas lamp illuminating the room with a dull orange glow.

The stranger with the neckerchief signalled for the fatter man to keep his rifle trained on the group as he lowered his own weapon and bound their wrists behind their backs. Vince groaned as the man tugged on his left arm, his bullet wound still providing him with serious pain. Annie sniffled as the neckerchief-sporting man forced her onto her knees alongside the others. Vince cursed under his breath, Wyatt hung his head in shame and Becca scowled at the man.

"Do not look at me like that." The man said, pulling down the neckerchief. To Annie's surprise he looked like an ordinary man. Alongside the glasses which she'd already seen, he had a somewhat thick beard and a creased forehead. His somewhat dark skin tone was more visible in the light of the gas lamp as he stared at the group. "I am not a bad man. We are not bad people. _You _were stealing from _us._" He told them.

The other man groaned and pulled down his hood revealing a head of short ginger hair covering the top of his face as well as his cheeks, chin and top lip. "Man," he said, "What are we doin'? What have we gotten ourselves in for?" Deep within his voice there was a hint of an accent. From Annie's small pool of knowledge she could only assume he was from Ireland or Scotland. She had never been able to tell the difference.

"Go and make sure the others are safe." The first man said. The fatter, Irish-or-Scottish man shrugged and walked through a door marked 'employees only'. Annie groaned, now aware that there were more of these people. She felt her cheeks reddening in embarrassment and fear as she tried not to weep.

"You... you should let us go." Vince warned, his voice strained. "This sort of thing has happened before, with the... the tying up and the kneeling and the... prick pacing back and forth in front of us. It didn't go well for... anybody."

"I will be the judge of that. I am not a bad man. I do not wish for this to come to blows. I will make a decision soon enough." Their captor said. He crossed his arms and stood in front of them – he was by no means any more imposing than a bandit. Unlike bandits, this man actually looked normal. "No doubt you people are part of a larger group, sent out to steal from people like us."

The man's head jolted to the side as the 'employees only' door slammed open and a younger person stormed into the room. He was in his mid-twenties, a thin dusting of hair across his face, long black hair sticking out of the back of a winter hat. He had a green t-shirt on with a black, long-sleeved shirt underneath and his face was twisted into an angry frown, aimed at the man who had first approached Annie and the group.

"What the _fuck _are you doing, Fuad?" He growled. Shortly after he passed through the door the fat, red-headed man followed him with a girl in her late teens or early twenties with similar coloured hair bringing up the rear.

"They were trespassing, Sullivan." 'Fuad' replied. "Something has to be done about them."

"God, what the hell happened – what were they doing?" Sullivan asked, turning to look out of the window. "Agh, they have a _truck_, and I can see a fucking jerrycan out there. You ever think they might've just wanted some _gas?" _He turned to the fat man who was hanging back, seemingly doubting himself. "Why the fuck did you let him go through with this, man?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb.

"We cannot be sure what they would have done." Fuad growled. "They could have come in here and stolen our food and supplies."

"We didn't want your food, we wanted some gas!" Becca yelled at him. Sullivan's attention was drawn by her voice.

"They have _kids, _too? Jesus Christ, Fuad, this is crossing the fucking line." His eyes fell on Annie. "Look, this kid can't be much older than seven, you really think these people wanted to murder us in our sleep?"

"Sully, calm down." The other newcomer said, lightly touching Sullivan's arm. "We need to sort this out calmly. I mean, they might look 'nice' but you can never be sure."

"Where is Mitchell?" Fuad asked. "If we are going to decide what to do with these people we need the entirety of the group to be present."

"Where the fuck do you think he is?" Sullivan asked, his mood calming slightly. There was still a bitterness in his voice. "I mean, Jesus, man. Come on. Why do you always gotta fuck everything up? This guy's been shot, too."

The woman walked over to Vince and inspected his wound. "Hey, don't touch him!" Becca barked at her, only receiving an angry glance in response as the stranger gave her diagnosis. "Doesn't look fatal to me. It's been patched up well enough, can't be much more than a day old." She stood up and walked back over to her own group. "I don't like the prospect of looking after new people, but I don't want to kill them either. That would get us nowhere."

Sullivan left the room, no doubt to search for their absent group member, as the girl spoke to the fat man. "What the hell happened in the first place, anyway?"

"They showed up, I saw 'em creeping towards the pumps. One of 'em had a gun so I told Fuad. We thought it was better to get the jump on them than expose ourselves trying to warn everyone else." The man explained. The tone of his voice had hints of regret and shame in it.

As he finished his sentence Sullivan returned with a teenager who looked vaguely like him but seemed distant and disinterested. The teen had black hair with quite a thick dusting on his chin and lip, though he didn't seem to be able to grow a full beard due to his age. He had bags beneath his eyes and he looked more grumpy than Sullivan who was, presumably, his older brother.

"Nice of you to join in for once, Mitchell." Fuad said, the sarcasm in his voice evident. He then turned to Annie and the others. "You stay out of this." He warned.

"The fuck are we doing?" The teenager asked, only for Sullivan to explain to him. "These people were trying to get some gas. Fuad thought it'd be nice to kidnap them. We need to decide what to do."

"So send 'em away. Or kill 'em, I don't care." Mitchell said.

Sullivan was shocked. "It was a _misunderstanding, _man. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Well, I do not trust them." Fuad said. "We should get rid of them, but not without the punishment they deserve. Their truck and supplies should be a decent enough penalty. Emily, Kiff, where do you stand on this?"

"They won't make it far without supplies." The girl said. "We should give them _something_, but I'm not comfortable with them here." She crossed her arms and looked out of the window, trying to avoid the gaze of the group.

"I don't know, pal." The fat man – presumably 'Kiff' – replied, scratching the back of his head. Unlike the rest of his group, he was clueless and on the fence. He didn't seem like the best decision maker.

"The way I see it, these people aren't getting far." Sullivan said. "We can either keep them here or be assholes and chuck them out with no supplies. Some of us aren't really fully decided so we'll put it to a vote." He paused and looked at Annie's group. She returned the favour and examined Sullivan's.

Sullivan seemed to be the nicest of them, trying to convince the group that the series of events had been a misunderstanding. Emily wasn't comfortable with Vince's group sticking around, but she didn't support taking their supplies and kicking them out. Kiff seemed to be confused on the whole matter and wasn't sure what he wanted, while Fuad and Mitchell were both mean and wanted to kick them out without any supplies or even kill them.

"So," Sully said, "majority rules. Keeping them here – those in favour, raise your hand."


	5. Vote Of Confidence

**Day 962 - Night**

**Vince**

Vince winced in pain, his shoulder throbbing. The pain had subsided after his injury had been bandaged but the burning hole through his shoulder was practically all he could think about. Except for, perhaps, the five strangers about to decide the fate of his group.

"So," Sullivan said, "majority rules. Keeping them here – those in favour, raise your hand."

Sullivan, the hat-wearing, green-shirted man raised his hand instantly. None of the other members of his group joined in. "Come on," Sullivan said. "We put these guys in a bad position, we owe them this."

The red-haired girl in her late teens or early twenties, apparently named Emily, had been outspoken about her mixed opinions on what to do with the group – she seemed the most torn. She stood with her head hung, her arms folded in front of her chest. As she listened to Sullivan's words, her eyes flitted between each member of Vince's group, finally resting on Annie. She took a deep breath, sighed, and then lifted her hand to signify that she wished for the group to stay. It seemed as if she had already developed a soft spot for Annie.

Kiff, the fat man, emitted a deep exhale as his eyes fell on Emily - if they were related as Vince suspected, then Emily's choice would have some impact on Kiff's decision. Vince had learned many things during his life in the apocalypse, but one of the most essential was that family was important. Just as Vince knew he would, Kiff raised his hand begrudgingly. The group would be safe.

"They're staying." Sullivan stated. Fuad, the only adult who had voted against them staying, got up and stormed off in response, muttering to himself angrily. The teenager who was presumably Sullivan's brother grunted and then left the room in a similar mood to Fuad.

Kiff's and Emily's eyes fell onto the group for a moment as Sullivan walked towards the crouched figures. The two red-headed strangers exchanged glances and then left too. As Sullivan moved closer to the group, Vince noticed that his eyes were rare in that one was brown and the other was blue. Vince knew there was a name for that, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Vince groaned, Sullivan accidentally tugging on his shoulder as he untied the bindings that held his wrists together. "Sorry, man," the stranger apologised, "That's gotta hurt."

"Could be worse. Could be in the middle of an execution right now." Vince replied, referencing the decision Sullivan's group had just made.

"Look, these aren't bad people," Sullivan told him, "At least Em and Kiff are on your side, kinda. No way in hell was I gonna let two kids and an injured man get kicked out with no supplies. We're not bandits." He stood back as he finished releasing the group.

"Thanks, dude," Wyatt said, "I had the feeling that I'd got us killed by going for that gas when I did. Shoulda left someone behind." He scratched his beard nervously as Sullivan pulled gestured for some seats that they could sit on.

"You're lucky I was here." Sullivan said. "Guess I'd better introduce myself properly. The name's Benjamin Sullivan, but you can call me Sully - everyone does. I'm here with my little brother, Mitchell. Don't worry about him. The two redheads are Kiff and Em; an uncle and his niece. The other guy is Fuad – he might be a dick but go easy on him, he's been through some shit."

Vince didn't think much of the excuse – everyone had 'been through some shit'. He'd had to shoot a guy's foot off, Wyatt had lost his best friend, Becca's sister had been killed and she'd been bit, and Annie had once been held with a gun to the back of her head at one point.

"Well," Wyatt said as the others looked around in varying states of discomfort, "I'm Wyatt, this is Vince, the leader. The little one's Annie and the older one is Becca – she lost half her hand to a walker bite..." Sully jolted back in shock. "Fuck!" he cried. "We need to deal with this!"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Becca said, pulling Sully's arm, "It's fine. That happened months ago." She unwound the bandage she kept around her hand and showed him. Her right thumb, forefinger and middle finger remained intact, but her other two fingers were gone, replaced by a nasty burn scar running from the right side of her middle finger down to her wrist.

"Damn." Sully said, looking at the injury in awe. "How'd you make it out of that?"

"Painfully and _barely._" Becca replied. "It sucks because I can't write, draw or play guitar any more."

Sully smiled. "You're lucky I'm left handed, then. If we ever come across a guitar I'll try and teach you how to play it."

"Thanks." Becca nodded, appreciating the gesture.

"So, any of you guys related?" Sully asked, turning his attention to the adults. "The two kids, maybe?" Wyatt shook his head.

"We're all strays." Vince grunted as he pressed his palm to his shoulder. The dull ache was infuriating, the hole providing him with searing pain every time he adjusted his body by any small amount. The hurting came once more as he sat in a chair along with the others.

"I prefer to call us a fucked up family." Becca smirked. "Because, y'know... our _real _families are all gone." He head drooped as memories overcame her.

Sully looked towards Wyatt and Vince, unsure of what to say. After a few seconds of pause, he turned to Annie and exclaimed, "Cool hat!"

It was horrifically awkward, but it drew everyone's attention away from the past. Annie smiled at the man and he returned the grin. "You guys need anything in terms of supplies?"

"We've got food and water – enough to keep ourselves from taking any of your supplies." Wyatt said. "We only really came for the gas."

"Well, I can't let you guys out on the road as you are. You should wait until your friend's a bit better and then you can be off – I don't want letting you guys go in a state on my conscience. Anyways, you folks got sleeping bags or anything?"

"No, we always just slept in the truck." Becca said. "Why – do _you _have some?"

"We've got a couple. There's a camp site a couple of miles down the road so I guess this store wanted to leech off of people who weren't that well prepared when they went on vacation. We should have three or four for you guys."

"Don't worry about me." Vince said, "It's not like I'll be able to sleep with this hole in my shoulder." The pain was too much, it would never let him drift off in a million years and even if it did, he didn't want to risk blacking out and dying.

"I can bring you a blanket if you want. Might have one lying around." Sully offered. Vince nodded – even if he didn't need it at the moment he might at some point later on. Even though Sully's group had a gas lamp in the room, it was still quite cold outside.

Sully left the room momentarily, leaving Vince to exchange unsure glances with Wyatt, Becca and Annie. These people didn't seem too bad, it was just that they had some loose cannons amongst them like any group did. When Vince's group had first formed over five hundred days ago, they had been argumentative and indecisive. Maybe Sully and the rest hadn't been together for long and they still needed to get used to each other.

Sully returned with three sleeping bags and a blanket. He passed them to the group members who thanked him, but as he started walking towards the 'employees only' door he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "Hope you folks don't mind if we sleep in different rooms. They're probably still uneasy and this is the best way to stop anyone from getting into an argument."

Vince couldn't disagree with that plan. He watched as Sully left the room and then turned to see Wyatt already unrolling a sleeping bag for Annie. Becca set up next to the younger girl and then Wyatt sorted himself out, taking off his glasses and running a hand through his hair. "You gonna be okay?" He asked Vince. Vince nodded and watched Wyatt climb into his makeshift bed before hearing the soft, rhythmic breathing of one of the sleeping group members. It was probably Annie – she could sleep on demand whenever she wanted. Becca and Wyatt weren't quite asleep yet – Becca twisted and turned trying to get comfortable while Wyatt lay on his side, barely moving. Vince turned in his chair and stared out of the window, looking at the truck that sat by the side of the road, Wyatt's jerrycan in front of the pumps. It seemed as if Kiff or Fuad had grabbed the pistol as they guided Vince's group into the convenience store.

Vince grunted as he started seeing black in the corner of his vision. He kept his hand on his shoulder, groaning whenever it moved slightly. He leaned forward in his seat as he felt increasingly more weary, and then felt his eyes flutter before sleep enveloped him.


	6. Kept At Bay

**Day 963 - Morning**

**Vince**

Vince jolted awake, an involuntary scream escaping his lips. He looked to his right and saw that the sleeping bags that Wyatt, Becca and Annie had slept in the night before were now empty, but he could hear murmuring in the room beyond the 'employees only' door.

He stared out of the window, the cold morning light illuminating the world outside. Their blue truck still sat where it had been parked the night before, but the few bags they had kept in the truck bed were gone. Vince felt a jolt, thinking they had been robbed, until he took another look to his right and saw their gear sitting in one corner of the room.

Vince felt ill. He had a dry throat and his wound still provided him with a dull ache. He was cold, but his blood had dried, staining his brown-coloured shirt. He looked again and saw his coat amongst the other items his group had picked up along the way. Perhaps that would help with the temperature. He reached up and slid it onto his left arm, grunting and wincing in pain as he pulled it over his right. As his sleeve slid off of the counter, something thudded onto the smooth surface. A pistol.

Unsure of what to do, Vince left the weapon on the counter and started towards the 'Employees Only' door. Before he could pass through, it opened in front of him and the red headed girl named Emily blocked his path. "Oh, you're awake." She said in a surprised but blunt voice. "I need to check your wound. Sit over there." She pointed to the chair Vince had slept in as she moved past him, behind the counter.

Vince didn't fully trust her. She'd hesitated before voting to let them stay, apparently swayed by Sully's pleas. If he hadn't been there, she probably would have been swayed by Fuad or Mitchell. Carver, the man in charge of the settlement Vince used to live in, would have said she was 'weak of character'.

Nevertheless, Vince sat down in the chair and shrugged off the lapel of his jacket. Emily quickly emerged and handed him some bottled water. "You might be dehydrated or something." She explained.

"Thanks," Vince said, pouring the liquid down his throat. It was refreshing, but there was a sharp pain at the back of his neck that made it hard to swallow. As he exhaled in relief, he asked, "Where are the others?"

Em studied the bullet wound on his shoulder as she replied. "The guy and Annie are talking to my uncle. The other girl is probably with them. Sully and Fuad are checking our supplies and Mitchell is up on the roof as usual."

Vince blinked, his vision obscured by Emily's hair and freckled face as she stared at his wound. "Are you sure you're old enough to be doing this?" He asked, "You look about twelve."

"I took a first aid course before everything went to shit." Em insisted, lifting a bottle and a piece of cloth as she looked him in the eye. "This is probably gonna sting, but we need to stop it getting infected. And I'm twenty-one."

Vince raised his eyebrows. "I never would have guessed. I used to know someone who was sort of a medic. Always insisted that she was a nurse. Helped us through a couple of scrapes." He winced as he felt the unbearable stinging of the cloth being pressed to his wound.

"What happened to her?" Emily asked, squinting at the bullet hole as she cleaned it.

Vince grunted. "Take a wild guess. Actually, we never really found out, but we guessed she got bit. We looked for her but found nothing."

Em started to speak but she was cut off as the middle-eastern, glasses-wearing Fuad walked into the room holding a rifle. "We need to talk - outside" He ordered.

"We can talk here." Vince retorted.

Fuad's forehead creased in frustration. "This is our home, not yours. What I say goes."

Vince stood up and shrugged, his arm paining him again, and watched Fuad turn his back as he walked to the door while Em headed for the other room. In a smooth motion, Vince swept his right hand back and grabbed the pistol on the counter, tucking it into the inside pocket of his jacket – just in case Fuad's intentions weren't all that positive.

Vince followed the man as they walked out of the convenience store, under the huge metal cover of the gas station. Eventually they walked past the asphalt and into a round series of trees about fifty metres from the building.

"We are where we need to be." Fuad decided. Vince looked around, turning on his heel, and then looked back at Fuad, horrified to see that the man was aiming his rifle at Vince's chest.

"You brought me out here to shoot me?" Vince asked, his brow creasing. He crossed his arms, knowing full well that he could whip out his pistol if he was lucky.

"I need this as a precaution." Fuad explained. "I do not think you are to be trusted. Your children and the other man seem normal to me, but you are strange."

Vince stared in his eyes. "Maybe it's because I was shot yesterday and I feel like crap."

"Who shot you? Are bandits after you and your people? I do not wish for that to be inflicted upon my own group." Fuad questioned.

"We had bandits after us at one point, but we dealt with it – this was months ago." Vince replied. "No one's after us at the moment."

"How can I be sure I can trust you around my people?"

"You're holding a gun at my chest, I'm not gonna lie, man." Vince said.

"Have you ever killed a man?" Fuad asked. Vince was taken off-guard by the question. "What?"

"Have you ever killed a man?" The stranger repeated. Vince paused. Fuad sighed. "I believe I have my answer." He scowled. "Sullivan has never killed a man. I have never killed a man. None of our group have ever killed a man. I must keep my eye on you."

Vince stuttered, failing to reply. He fumbled to make words, then saw something staggering out of the darkness of the trees towards Fuad. "Look out!" He cried.

Fuad turned and yelled as the walker advanced on him. He fired, only hitting its chest. That didn't stop them. The corpse stumbled forwards, arms outstretched planting its arms on the man's shoulders and collapsing to the ground with him.

Fuad yelled in fear, unable to use his weapon as he tried to get the walker off. Vince growled, pulled open his jacket and withdrew the pistol. He ran up to the walker, grabbed the back of its head and tugged, wrenching it backwards. As he did so, he lifted his left arm, which burned with pain as the effort combined with his injury and he fired through the side of the walker's head.

As the body collapsed, Fuad pushed it off and grabbed his rifle tightly, jumping to his feet and staggering backwards as he breathed heavily and quickly. He aimed his rifle at Vince.

"Where... did you get... that gun?" Fuad asked, his eyes wide.

"I-I can explain!" Vince told him, worried that showing the pistol was his death sentence.

"You... brought that so that you could kill me!" Fuad uttered, pointing the barrel of his weapon at Vince's chest.

"No!" Vince blurted as Fuad cocked the rifle. "Don't do this, man, I need to look after my group."

"You were going to kill me!" Fuad growled.

"I wasn't gonna kill you!" Vince found it odd that he was pleading for his life. He was usually proud and blunt. Perhaps his injury had done something to him – perhaps it was affecting the amount of effort he could use against Fuad, forcing him to just back down and beg.

Vince realised his pistol was still in his hands. He got to his feet swiftly, and pointed it at Fuad. "You shoot me, I'll shoot you as I go down. I need to get back to... to Wyatt and Annie... and... Becca."

Fuad's grip tightened on his rifle as he grimaced. "I _will_ shoot you."

"So do it." Vince said as he pointed his pistol at Fuad's head. "You already know what'll happen if you do."

They held eye contact, Fuad's hands hugging his rifle, Vince's gripping his pistol. They looked at each other, ready to fire at any moment.

Stalemate.


	7. The Second Son

**Day 963 - Morning**

**Becca**

Becca groaned, her chin in her palms and her elbows on a table. Wyatt and Kiff burst into laughter once again as Kiff finished yet another terrible joke. Annie was to Wyatt's right, not fully understanding most of the jokes but enjoying the happy vibes nonetheless.

It wasn't really Becca's humour. Well, it _was, _but she wasn't in the mood. These people were strangers and she didn't trust them – two of them had voted for Becca's group to be kicked out without any supplies. However, from what she'd learned, Kiff was okay, just indecisive. He had been anxious when he and Fuad had 'captured' the group, worried about the implications their arrival would have had on his niece, Emily.

The conversation had taken a more serious turn now. It was odd seeing Wyatt so happy after so long, but at least he had enjoyed the banter between himself and Kiff, the latter of whom was now talking about his brother and family.

"My brother and I were born in Scotland." The round man said. "Moved over here when we were five years old. We were twins, though my brother was always skinnier than me for some reason. Helped tell us apart. I used to joke about it – I wish I hadn't now, o'course, him being dead an' all, but you never know when it'll happen and you can't control it."

"Your brother was Em's dad, right?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah. He was a good lad. At least I'm still around for her, though, but whenever I bow out, I'm sure Sullivan will follow in my footsteps." He chuckled, mildly amused about his own death. "You should see Sully now, though. Poor lad could barely sleep last night. Keeps worryin' about his brother."

"The one that wanted us dead, you mean?" Becca blurted, her voice monotonous as she pressed her fist into the side of her face in boredom.

"Yeah, Mitchell. Little tearaway. Likes sittin' on the roof on his own. Sleeps up there a lot. He's a wee bit antisocial, Sully's the only one he really talks to." Kiff explained.

Em walked into the room, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Oh, hey, how's Vince?" Becca asked, sitting up. She only received a begrudging look for a response as Em rolled her eyes in their sockets. The woman kept walking, passing through another door.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Becca growled, getting out of her seat to pursue the red-headed medic.

"Oi, leave her be, Becky." Kiff warned, lifting up his arm but knowing his protests were futile. As Becca continued following Em, Kiff looked at Wyatt and asked. "Her name's Becky, right?"

Becca pushed open the door and found herself in a narrow, dark room. She couldn't see anything to her left so she took a step to the right, her foot colliding with a raised platform. Unable to see her foot in the dark, Becca assumed it was a series of stairs that Em must have gone up, so she followed them.

At the top of the staircase, she found a door with a bar across it. She pushed and it released, only for her to find herself on the roof with Em nowhere in sight. She took a few tentative steps forward until she spotted a figure sitting on the edge of the roof with a pair of binoculars.

Becca turned to head back down, but the figure spoke up. "One of the new guys, I guess? The others know not to come up here. They don't... understand."

Becca looked at the ground, wondering what she had got herself into. She slid her hands into her pockets and kicked at the flat roof, not advancing or backing off.

"No doubt they sent you up here to get me for something. What do they want now?" Mitchell asked, grunting when he didn't get an immediate response. He twisted in place, looking back and spotting Becca. "What are you, mute or something?"

Becca paced forwards, opening her mouth to speak, only for no comeback to surface. She closed her jaw and kept walking towards the agitated youth that sat on the side of the building. "The hell is your problem, man?" She asked. "Why do you sit up here all day?"

"Sure as hell ain't gonna be down there." Mitchell growled, turning back to face the horizon. "They don't get that I like being alone. They don't understand." He pulled his palms down his face in strain or fatigue. "And now all you guys are here. Guess I'm gonna have to put up with _you, _too." Becca could tell he was passionate about the subject. Maybe she could get through to him and maybe help out the rest of his group by doing so.

"I used to be the same." She said, crouching down and hanging her legs over the side of the building a couple of metres away as Mitchell looked through some binoculars. His face was covered in the weak amount of stubble that a teenager usually had if they didn't shave. All in all, he looked like a teenage version of Sully, just with shorter hair and a less round chin.

"Funny story, actually," Becca continued, "We used to camp in this gas station too, all the way in Georgia. I barely liked anyone there, thought they were all useless. That was... when Shel was still around." She looked down at her lap. Every time she mentioned the name she felt guilt even though she knew she shouldn't. Every time she thought of Shel saw the man who had killed her sister. She couldn't even rest easy knowing she'd killed him.

Mitchell lowered his binoculars and blinked a couple of times, before turning his head and looking at her. "Who's that?" He asked.

"My sister. She, uh... she got killed by this one guy." Becca replied, still staring at the material of her jeans. "He chased us for a while. The whole group got split up. For a moment I was alone, the guy got me – _almost _got me, and then she saved me, but died doing it. The guy turned and shot her."

"Holy shit." Mitchell said, apparently intrigued about the story. "You're here, though. This all powerful nameless '_guy' _didn't get you."

"Because I pulled his gun out of his hands, shot him in the stomach and stamped on his head as he begged for mercy." Becca said matter-of-factly, knowing deep down that the image of the man's crushed skull would never leave her.

"Jesus." Mitchell said. "Reminds me of when... uh... never mind." His voice broke towards the end of the sentence. Becca was sure he was remembering some bad memories too.

"It's okay. I don't need to know." She said. "But if that's why you're up here – if you lost someone, then you need to remember you still have a brother down there. I would do anything for another day with Shel, I regret every day I wasn't." She rested her forehead in her palms, her words striking a nerve.

"What happened to your hand?" Mitchell asked, apparently noticing the bandage on her disfigured right hand and changing the subject in one smooth move.

"Oh, well, to top all that off, I got bit a week and a half after my sister died." She said. "Vince cut it off and I made it, luckily enough."

Mitchell covered his face with his hands. "Oh god, that works?" He asked, his words muffled. "I shoulda fuckin' done something. I shoulda tried. Coulda saved her." He hit his forehead with the heels of his hands. "Fucking idiot."

"There's all stuff we wish we could've done..." Becca said, but Mitchell cut her off. "Shut up!" He yelled. "Just shut up! F-fuck off!" Becca reeled back as he groaned in dismay. Perhaps telling him cutting off bites worked hadn't been such a good idea. Whoever he'd lost had been bitten on the arm or leg and now he knew that he could've potentially saved them if he'd had the knowledge at the time.

Mitchell stared at the ground, moaning with his eyes sealed shut. Becca didn't try to talk to him again – it seemed as if he wasn't going to talk to her again for now, if at all. Slowly the teenager reached for his binoculars and stared out. "Got quite a few dead headed this way." He said to himself, and turned to get up and tell the others. Maybe he went down there more often than Becca thought.

As he turned, Mitchell mumbled "What the fuck?" to himself. He looked at Becca as he stood up and threw her the binoculars. She looked through them. "What am I looking at?" She asked.

Mitchell pointed towards a round series of trees just beyond the gas station. Becca gasped as she caught sight of two figures standing in the centre of a clearing, aiming weapons at each other.

Fuad and Vince.


	8. Down Memory Lane

**Day 963 - Morning**

**Wyatt**

Wyatt and Annie sat in the 'Employees Only' room, where Sully's group slept overnight - it seemed like it had been used as a stockroom before the apocalypse. He was perched on a crate in front of a table with Annie to his right. Sully and Kiff were on the other side of the table, the latter telling them all about the group's history.

"...We all came from a bigger group. We never really left the state, but we moved around a lot. Lost a _lot _of people that way." Kiff explained. "Bill, Carl, Liz... all gone. That's why the last five of us chose to settle down instead. As soon as you start sticking around in one place people tend to live longer."

"You're telling me, dude." Wyatt replied. "We lived in a settlement for over a year, there were about seventy of us and no one really died. We had to get out of there because a herd of walkers got in and the place was taken over, but as soon as we got out everyone started dying; Laura, Miles, Russell, hell, even Becca's sister, Shel."

Sully sighed. "Similar stuff happened to Fuad in the early days. Hit him hard and he was never really the same. Seems like decades ago now. We used to be this big travelling group of about fifty but we could never keep everyone satisfied. Eventually people started stealing shit and running away, people split off on their own. We stuck around until there were only about ten of us left and now we're all that's left."

Sully looked at the ground as Em walked back into the room. The red-headed woman sat to the left of Sully and started to speak. "I'm glad that girl and that other guy aren't in here." She looked at Wyatt and Annie. "No offence, but I don't trust them."

Wyatt leaned back on his seat. "What about us?" He asked, referring to himself and Annie.

"You're both fine. Annie's a nice kid and you remind me of someone I used to know, but I'm not sure who." Em explained. "There's something off about those other two."

"You'd understand if you knew." Wyatt muttered under his breath.

Kiff changed the subject clumsily. "So, where'd you folks learn where to shoot? Becky seemed like she knew what to do with a gun."

"_Becca _learned back at our old camp." Wyatt told him. "Vince knew before the world ended and I just sort of picked it up."

Kiff smiled. "You should see Em fire a gun. She's not half bad."

"Not that bad on the eyes, either." Sully smirked, only receving Em's elbow digging into his ribs and a scornful but playful look on her face in response.

Wyatt raised his eyebrows as he leaned forwards. "What's the deal with you two?" He asked Sully and Em. "Are you... _you know?_"

"Oh, uh... no, it's uh... y'know..." Sully stammered, scratching the back of his head.

Em was more clear about it. "No, I mean, not right now." She sighed in relief as a door opened behind Wyatt. Becca burst into the room followed by Sully's teenage brother Mitchell.

Becca pointed at Sully. "You'd better explain what's going on." She growled.

Sully was taken aback. "What are you talking about?" He stood up as his brother approached him. "Fuad is out in the woods with a rifle, pointing a gun at their guy!" Mitchell stated. "Saw it through my binoculars."

Sully growled under his breath, grimaced and headed towards the door. Wyatt shot out of his seat and shouted. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go sort this mess out if you'll let me!" Sully replied, reaching for a pistol.

Wyatt grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "If that guy has just shot Vince, what's to stop him coming back here and killing me, Becca and Annie? I'm gonna come with you because Vince is my friend, but I'm not leaving the kids here." He turned to look at Becca. "Get Annie, we're going."

"Woah, woah, woah." Kiff said, standing up and blocking Becca's path. "I'm not letting Sully out on his own outnumbered. I'm coming too."

"For fuck's sake," Sully said, "We'll all go."

It took a second but Wyatt noticed that most of the members of Sully's group had been within reach of firearms the whole time. Kiff's rifle was leaning against the table and Em had a pistol in the waistband of her jeans. Mitchell was the only one without but he withdrew a switchblade from a pocket.

"Let's _go!_" Sully ordered. "We don't have all day!"

The group charged out of the room, Sully and Wyatt in front, Annie and Em just behind, Kiff, Mitchell and Becca bringing up the rear. On the way out Wyatt spied the pistol they'd had when they had surrendered the night before and he swept it up, passing it to Becca and grabbing Vince's machete.

As soon as the group burst out of the convenience store Sully groaned. About fifteen walkers were spread across the horizon, and from the low gurgling sound that emanated through the air more were on the way.

"Mitchell!" Sully barked, "You were up there for hours. Why didn't you spot _them?"_

"I did, but there were more important things to worry about – there's only like... ten of them." Mitchell grunted.

"Fuck." Sully said. "Don't shoot them unless they get too close." He started forward and the group followed.

"Fuck that." Wyatt said, "We need to take them down before they sneak up on us."

"Uh, I'd rather do what he said." Mitchell decided, siding with Wyatt "Don't want them sneaking up on me."

Kiff, Em, Sully and Becca all raised their firearms and took a few pot-shots at the walkers. A couple of the dead collapsed, but many of them still stood.

"Wait until they're closer." Em said, "Don't waste the ammo."

The group crept forwards again, the seven of them pushed together in a tight bunch. "I can see more under the trees." Annie whispered.

"How far away were they?" Sully asked his brother. "Fuad and Vince, I mean."

"In that clearing just through the trees." Mitchell replied. "You know the one."

As the group paced forwards they made their way out of the cover of the gas station and set foot on grass. Wyatt spotted a walker about ten metres away and broke away from the group to run up and slam Vince's machete into its head. The metal stuck, so Wyatt had to press his foot into the corpse's chest, pushing with his leg and pulling with his arms. The machete slid out, causing him to stagger back and he almost fell over until he backed up into the group where Sully pushing him into an upright position.

They all shuffled forwards again, finally reaching the trees that were fifty metres or so from the gas station. Instantly the sound of walkers became deafening. "I didn't see this many." Mitchell said before anyone could ask. "They must have been under the trees or in the dark or something. I wouldn't have come if I had known there were this many."

Em, Kiff and Becca lifted their weapons and aimed them at the walkers. "For the love of god, don't shoot!" Sully begged. "They'll come for us even quicker!"

The group found themselves in a circle, their backs to each other as they looked around. Fuad and Vince were nowhere to be seen, but the group was surrounded by the dead.

"You might wanna get ready, dudes." Wyatt said. "This is gonna get messy."


	9. Fight Or Flight

**Day 963 - Morning**

**Annie**

Annie held the upper half of her right arm in fear. She was currently hiding behind Wyatt as he, Becca, Em, Kiff and Sully aimed their guns at the walkers that crept towards them beneath the shadows of the tree cover.

Aside from herself, Mitchell was the most twitchy. He only had a switch blade to hand, unlike the others. His left hand tightened around the grip of his knife, while his right hand closed and opened repeatedly as his head darted from side to side in fear.

Wyatt and Becca were the sturdiest of the seven. They'd dealt with this before, many times. During the escape from Carver's camp, back at the mall in Indiana, up in Indianapolis...

Annie's train of thought was broken as Mitchell spoke up. "Fuck this, I'm done." He stuttered, breaking away from the group in a sprint.

"Mitchell!" Sully yelled. "Get back here!"

The older brother started to sprint after his sibling as Mitchell ducked under the swinging arms of a walker, and disappeared into the trees.

Sully was pulled back by Em, who grabbed his shoulder. "He's going back to the gas station." She said in an effort to calm him. "Don't go running off too."

Sully grimaced and slowly backed into the circle again. "God, I hope he's all right." He said.

Their attention was drawn by a gunshot. Kiff had fired at a walker that was getting too close for comfort - the shot hit the corpse in the neck but didn't kill it. As the body's attention was drawn Em fired at it, the bullet powering right through its eye socket.

"Nice shot." Wyatt congratulated.

"They all heard the noise." The woman replied. Surely enough, the walkers stopped wondering aimlessly and turned towards the sound of the two bursts. Annie felt her heart race even more that it already had been, her hands and arms shaking all over. The dead scared her so much, especially when she was unarmed.

Wyatt walked forwards and slashed at a walker, the attack slicing cleanly through the body's head. Annie gasped, noting the gap that Wyatt had left in the circle. Someone else fired this time – Becca. Another walker collapsed.

The shambling carcasses were getting closer and closer, and there were more of them now. Sully took a few steps forward to get a better shot at the walkers, leaving Annie, Em, Kiff and Becca as the last remaining members of the circle.

Surely enough, Becca had to get a decent shot too and stepped forward, briefly looking at Annie over her shoulder. Annie appreciated the gesture and ducked behind Becca as the older girl shot at a member of the undead.

The motion was shortlived as Becca ran to Sully, who had a walker creeping up behind him. She looked at Annie as she ran, a guilty and shameful look on her face. Annie knew that Becca needed to save Sully, but she was out in the open without a weapon.

She felt a tug on her arm. Looking to her left she saw Em grabbing her wrist. "This way!" The woman ordered. Annie was tugged towards Kiff, who was busy fending off walkers.

"We'll look after you, kid." The fat man stated reassuringly.

Annie looked over at the others. Becca had saved Sully from a walker but their path back to the others was blocked by more of the dead.

The seven-year-old was pulled further away from Becca and Sully by Em, who was backing off along with Kiff. The woman had a tight hold of her wrist and it seemed as if they aimed to head back to the gas station. Wyatt was nowhere to be seen.

Kiff turned his rifle around and smacked a walker in the face with the stock, a meagre "Get lost!" escaping his lips as he grunted in effort. Em made sure she still had a hold of Annie and shot another walker in the face. Kiff was using his rifle as a bat permanently now – either he'd run out of ammo or it was a more effective strategy.

Walkers were crawling out of nowhere. Where there had been ten in the clearing moments earlier, there were closer to double that number advancing and splitting the group up. Wyatt was completely blocked from view, towards the north of the clearing.

Annie, Em and Kiff backed under the trees towards the west of the clearing. Em shot another walker in the face before yelling to her uncle. "We need to get back to the gas station!"

Kiff grunted as he smacked another walker. "No way we're getting through – there's tons of them! I don't know _how _they do it but they just come out of the fucking walls." Another yell escaped his lips as he bashed a walker that was crawling along the ground.

"Any sign of Fuad or Vince?" Em asked.

"Fuck all!" Kiff yelled. "Haven't seen anything!"

Annie gasped as she heard a yell coming from Becca's direction. She instinctively tried to run to her friend but Em grabbed her across the chest and pulled her backwards. "They'll be fine!" She told the child. "Don't distract them, we'll keep you safe." She pulled Annie backwards and fired at a walker ahead of them before brushing the bright red fringe of her shoulder-length hair out of her face. "I need to keep you safe but you have to play along." She said.

Kiff was growling, trying to carve his way through the herd but not having much luck. He backed up towards the other two. "You all right, lass?" He asked. Annie nodded, though she wasn't being truthful – she was still thoroughly terrified. Kiff seemed to detect that through her body language. "Don't worry, we'll get out of this. Mitchell seemed to make it out."

"Shouldn't have tried though," Em said, scanning the immediate area for any walkers getting too close for comfort.

Annie was not just afraid of the dead; she was scared of being left alone with strangers. Vince had disappeared from the face of the earth, Becca was separated from her and Wyatt had vanished into the herd. Em and Kiff were okay but being a child, she found older people scary, large and imposing - she'd had the very same problem before the apocalypse even though she'd only been around four at the time. Being left with people she barely knew was terrifying to her, even if they seemed nice enough.

"This is getting rough," Kiff muttered, smacking a walker in the face. "We need to move."

"Where? _Move where? There's nowhere to go!" _Em replied in a panicked voice. That didn't exactly help Annie's state of mind considering she was barely holding in the temptation to scream in fear and let it all out.

Kiff scanned the horizon before calling. "There! We should be able to push past that thinner patch, circle around, maybe grab the others and get back to the gas station."

"But that'll lead them over to the gas station!" Em yelled.

Kiff broke into a sprint, holding his gun in both hands. "We'll think about that when it comes to it! Let's just get out of the frying pan for now – the fire can wait!"

Em followed, not realising she no longer had a hold of Annie. The seven-year-old desperately tried to keep up, but Em realised too late. The woman turned to help but a walker passed behind her and blocked Annie's path, leaving her stranded amid the walking corpses.

Annie felt a guttural whine emanate from her throat as the walkers cut her off from Em. She lifted the backs of her feet off of the ground and put them back down again rapidly, her right hand gripping her left wrist as she twisted and turned, searching for any sign of a friend.

She screamed quietly and lightly as a walker lunged for her. She ducked beneath its waving arms, causing it to collapse and fall into another one, the noise distracting a few more.

In an instant, Annie saw a flash of dirty blonde hair and caught sight of Wyatt standing about ten metres away to her left, beckoning her towards him. He had saved her from a similar situation when they'd first met – they'd been at the same camp for a long time but they'd never spoken or interacted.

Annie felt her feet moving involuntarily towards Wyatt, until she heard a yell of shock to her right.

Her head darted and she gasped as she saw Sully being grasped by a walker. It had hold of one of his wrists and he was struggling to wrench it off, not in the right position to push it away or force it to let go.

"Help!" Sully yelled. "Somebody do something!" He groaned as he pushed the walker's head up, getting his hand beneath its chin, but he wouldn't be able to hold it off for long. He made eye contact with Annie, his eyes begging for aid. Becca was nowhere to be seen.

Annie was torn between running to safety or providing aid to someone who needed it. She feared for her own life, and wasn't sure what she'd be able to do to help Sully. She felt the need to save him but couldn't figure out how.

"Annie, over here!" Wyatt yelled. "Get to safety!"

"Someone, please!" Sully cried, barely able to keep the walkers off of him.

Annie closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made her choice.

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED<strong>

**NEXT TIME ON INTO THE FRAY:**

"Where's Mitchell? He ran off, but where did he go?"

* * *

><p>"This place is a wreck. We can't stay here."<p>

* * *

><p>"Well, this seems hopeful."<p>

* * *

><p>"We're done here, people. Let's clear out."<p> 


	10. EPISODE TWO - CLOAK AND DAGGER

**Day 963 Morning**

**Wyatt**

Trapped in a mess of walkers beneath a thick layer of tree cover, the group fought for their lives.

Wyatt crouched as Annie ran to him, arms outstretched. The young girl looked over her shoulder in fear, watching the struggling form of Sully as he was tugged ever closer to a walker's hungry maw. He felt her arms wrap around his stomach as they made contact, and he returned the embrace briefly.

"It's okay," he said comfortingly, knowing that she thought she would have been able to save the trapped man. "I didn't expect you to do anything for him. You didn't make the wrong choice."

Wyatt turned and split a walker's head in two using Vince's machete. The dead body collapsed, lifeless, only for more to fill its space. Hopefully they would be taken care of by Kiff, Emily and Becca, wherever those three were.

He looked back at Sully. A walker had hold of the man's wrist and its other arm was wrapped around his neck as it tried desperately to devour him. He had seconds left. Wyatt tried to carve his way through the crowd, knowing all too well that Annie would follow. He couldn't risk it. His eyes met Sully's and the man seemed to beg for help without speaking.

Wyatt grimaced. He couldn't leave this man to die. Sully had saved his life by vouching for him and making sure that his group elected for Wyatt's to stay with them. If he had not been around then they would have been kicked out with no supplies. Wyatt needed to return the favour - it was the least he could do.

Try as he did to get to Sully, walkers kept on getting in the way. The man screamed as he starting losing his strength. He would be gone before Wyatt could get there.

Then the tables turned. Wyatt gasped unintentionally as another figure grabbed the walker that was trying to devour Sully and pulled it back. Due to the decay it had suffered, the corpse succumbed to the superior strength of the figure and jerked back, leaving Sully free to grasp his neck and regain his breath.

Wyatt kept his eyes on the walker as someone pressed a pistol to the side of its head and fired, blowing its brains out. As the body collapsed, Wyatt let slip an involuntary grin when he saw Sully's saviour; fending off the walkers as he caught up with Sully stood the familiar figure of Vince, still nursing his shoulder from the wound he'd suffered the day before.

Annie squealed, prompting Wyatt to turn and see a walker baring down on him. He raised his machete to attack but a bullet passed through his assailant's head, knocking it flat. Thinking Kiff or Emily had dealt with it, Wyatt turned to thank them only to see the other missing group member, the middle eastern, glasses-wearing Fuad wielding the rifle that had just saved him.

Sully and Vince carved their way through the herd and sidled up next to Wyatt and Annie. "Where the fuck were _you?_" Wyatt asked.

"The other guy and I were gonna kill each other; walkers showed up." Vince replied as Fuad appeared next to them. "We will settle our quarrels _later_." He growled. "Where are the others?"

"Mitchell made a break for it," said Emily, showing up with Kiff and Becca. "Sully tried to follow him but it would've put them both in more danger." She spotted a walker with a hammer embedded in its head and grabbed the handle. She kicked the walker back and the weapon came free, allowing her to take care of another member of the dead that was crawling along the floor.

"Everyone okay so far? No one bitten?" Vince asked.

"I'm good," Sully replied, still rubbing his throat where the walker had grasped him. A murmur of agreement followed as the rest of the group stated they were fine too.

"Well, we know where everyone is. Shall we... make a move?" Kiff proposed, a grunt punctuating his words as he smacked a walker with the stock of his rifle.

Wyatt nodded before realising that no one would see the action. To cover his back, he yelled "Yeah!" at the top of his voice and the group started to move.

Wyatt held Vince's machete in his right hand, keeping his left on Annie's shoulder, tucking her between his hip and his arm so that her body was shielded by his own. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to keep her close.

The group shuffled, the occasional grunt or cry of effort piercing the moaning and gurgling of a thousand voices as a member of the group smashed a walker in the head or pushed it back. Wyatt had to reach out unnaturally far to hit walkers and avoid hitting the group members. It was horribly awkward.

Eventually the group shuffled out of the clearing and under the tree cover. They had about twenty metres to go before they were out in the open and the walkers were so thin out there that the group could make a break for it.

The gunshots became more spread out now - apparently the group was trying to conserve ammunition. Kiff had already run out but his stature helped him use his rifle as a bludgeon of sorts, hitting walkers in the head with the stock and knocking them down.

Em had resorted to putting her pistol away and was using her hammer to smack the dead. Instead of using the blunt end she had turned it around and was using the claw section, which lent well to cracking skulls open and disabling walkers instantly.

Wyatt heard a cry of pain and saw Becca backing into the group as he looked over his shoulder. For a second he thought she'd been bitten but he saw her clutching her nose and seething in pain. Apparently something had hit her in the face and was causing her grief.

Soon enough the walkers started thinning out and the gas station was in sight. The group gave a collective groan as they saw walkers loitering by the pumps, wandering aimlessly. They must have followed Mitchell after he'd ditched the group to save his own skin.

"_Wasn't exactly the best plan."_ Wyatt thought, _"Probably got himself bit or something."_

After thinking that, he imagined the state Sully would be in if that were the case. Sully would blame himself, saying he 'should have gone after him' and then he'd turn the blame on whoever stopped him from doing so. _Then _they'd have to cut Mitchell's arm off.

But there was no point thinking hypothetically. Wyatt had other matters to take care of, namely the few members of the dead that were still attempting to devour him and his group.

"Last couple!" Kiff yelled, smacking a walker in the face. Wyatt was surprised to see no more than five walkers in the surrounding area. There were more back in the woods but they were not an immediate threat.

"We can spread out a bit now, take care of the last few." Vince grunted, still clutching his arm in pain. The group did as he instructed. Wyatt gave Annie a look that told her "stay here for a second" and walked forwards, slamming Vince's machete into a walker's head. Em and Kiff did the same while Fuad and Sully shot the last two from a distance.

Then came silence.

The group looked at each other, exchanging triumphant, proud and worried looks as the area fell quiet. No one spoke as they all met up under the large metal roof of the gas station.

"We all good, guys?" Wyatt asked. "Nobody bit?"

None of the group really listened to him. Fuad turned and started talking to Emily and Kiff while Sully sat on the ground and recuperated. Only Vince, Becca and Annie listened to his words and shook their heads in response. Becca's arm was still pinned firmly over her face where she'd been hit somehow.

Wyatt walked over to Vince and the rest as he looked over his shoulder. They may have just fought through a herd with these strangers, but they still had to live with them.


	11. Keep A Secret

**Day 963 Morning**

**Vince**

Vince leaned against the pumps of the gas station, his arms crossed as he watched the members of Sully's group in varying states of confusion. Kiff and Emily were asking Fuad what had happened back in the clearing while Sully paced around in a circle, his hands behind his head.

"Where's Mitchell? Where's my brother?" Sully asked. directing the question at no one in particular. As far as Vince could tell the moody, teenage Mitchell had gone with everyone else to the clearing in the woods, but had ditched them when things got rocky. Vince didn't particularly like the kid, but he'd feel bad for Sully if anything had happened to him.

Vince remembered something Em had told him earlier that morning. "Maybe he went up to the roof?" he suggested. "From what I've heard he spends a lot of time up there."

Sully's eyes widened in realisation. He turned to run into the convenience store but paused and looked over his shoulder. "Thanks, by the way," he told Vince, "For saving me from those walkers."

Vince nodded as he accepted Sully's thanks. "No problem." he replied, and then turned to scowl at Fuad. _"Alt__hough some people are too proud to thank me."_

He let his scorn subside for a moment as he crouched in front of Becca. The fifteen-year-old was sat in front of the gas pumps, her left hand cupped over her face. It didn't take long for him to realise that her nose was bleeding.

"How did that happen?" He asked as he reached into his pocket for something he could give her to wipe her face. He found nothing.

"It's my fault." A voice said from over his shoulder. Vince turned to see the red-headed, bearded man named Kiff walking up to them. "I was so engaged in bashing the dead that I brought my rifle back and hit her in the face." he turned to Becca. "Sorry, kiddo."

"It's fine," she said, "I've had worse. Vince, how's your arm?"

"I can't really feel it. It's throbbing and feels like all the blood is rushing to the tips of my fingers. I'm just glad it doesn't hurt like hell any more." Vince replied. There was no point in lying, it would only put him in danger; it was better for the group to know exactly what was going down.

Emily walked up next to him and looked at his shoulder. "Do you need me to have a look?" She asked.

"No, I can cope. Shall we go inside and see what Sully's up to?"

The group murmured in agreement. Kiff led the charge, followed by Emily. Wyatt and Annie were next as Becca got to her feet and walked after them. Finally Fuad walked past Vince, shooting him an angry glance. As Vince turned to bring up the rear, Fuad turned to face the backs of the rest of the group and murmured "We are not done yet."

–

The convenience store was littered with walker corpses. A large window was smashed and a walker was impaled on the glass, reaching for the living with all its might. Kiff didn't even look it in the face as he smashed it over the head, causing it to fall limp.

Fuad was seething as he paced around the room, looking at the mess. "They must have followed Mitchell." Emily suggested, shrugging as she surveyed the room. "It looks like he took some of them out and Sully must have dealt with the rest."

"This place is a wreck, we can't stay here." Kiff admitted, sighing loudly. He slumped backwards into a chair, dejected and saddened. "We had a good thing going here. No herds for _months_, thought we were in the clear... guess not."

The 'Employees Only' door slammed open to reveal a relieved Sully with Mitchell close by. It seemed as if Mitchell had actually managed to save himself by running when he did. At least no one had died.

Vince saw Fuad's eyes flitting from the mess in the room to Mitchell. His eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth and stomped purposefully over to the teenager. "Why did you lead them back here?" he shouted, "The building is ruined, we cannot stay here any more!"

Mitchell's face twisted into a mask of anger as he yelled back at the middle aged man. "Don't blame me, it's your fault they came after me in the first place! If you hadn't been such a dickhead and tried to shoot their guy then we wouldn't have had to come and _save _you!"

Kiff sighed in his seat as he rested his cheek on his fist. "Hate to admit it, Fuad, but the kid's kind of right."

"You believe this child?" Fuad growled. He pointed at Vince, who started feeling anger welling in his stomach. "_He _is not to be trusted."

Luckily for Vince, no one was really siding with Fuad. Emily found her place next to Sully and Mitchell and said, "Sully almost _died _because of your... stupid plan!"

Fuad pointed at Wyatt. "But I saved the man and the little girl!"

"If Vince hadn't showed up when he did I'd be nursing a huge bite on my neck." Sully told him. "And if you hadn't held Vince up then I wouldn't have been _near _death. So, thanks again, Fuad."

Fuad scowled at him. "Perhaps you should have watched your back rather than keeping your eyes firmly on Emily's chest!" He countered, causing Emily to cross her arms in response as she looked at Sully out of the corner of her eye.

Sully had snapped, his voice increasing immensely in volume as his face turned red. "Maybe you shouldn't be such a judgemental _prick_! You always put people in danger, no _wonder _your whole family is dead!" He blurted.

The group of nine froze as the two opponents stared at each other. Fuad yelled unintelligibly and punched Sully in the face, sending him flying back into the counter. As Sully landed, numerous supplies flew into the air from the impact.

Before anyone could react Sully shot up, his fist connecting with the side of Fuad's nose, detaching his glasses and knocking the man back into Kiff and Wyatt who restrained him before he could attack again.

Sully started to move forwards to punch Fuad again but Vince rushed over and caught his arm as he drew it back. Em helped him hold the man back, grabbing his other arm.

Fuad was seething with rage. "You have... no right!" he growled at Sully.

"You know too well that I have every right." The man retorted, his voice strained as he tried to free himself from Vince and Emily.

Vince looked at Wyatt and Kiff. "Get him into the other room, calm him down. We need to figure out what to do." he ordered.

The two men did not argue. They dragged Fuad through the 'employees only' door as the middle aged man groaned and struggled, trying to break free and attack Sully.

Once they were clear of the door Sully stopped trying to escape and fell limp. Vince let go of his arm and the man collapsed into a chair, resting his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands.

"What the hell was that about, man?" Vince asked. When he didn't get an answer he looked at Emily, then Mitchell who was leaning against the wall, but neither gave a response. He turned to Becca for support but she was just staring at Sully, while Annie sat in the corner of the room, hugging her legs.

Vince scratched his beard and tried to make sense of the events. Apparently Fuad's family was dead and Sully blamed it on him, but _why_?

It seemed as if there were more to these people than Vince could ever have expected. But this was the apocalypse - who _didn't _have a hidden past?


	12. A New Plan

**Day 963 Morning**

**Becca**

Becca watched, confused and uninformed, as Vince strode over to Sully and asked him what was going on. The man did not immediately respond as he slumped in a chair with his arms on the counter, and when he did it was only in the form of a neutral glance.

"You did kind of cross the line a bit," Emily told her friend as she sat on the other side of the counter. "Using what happened to Fuad against him isn't exactly in good taste."

Sully sighed. "I'm finding it hard to care. He put the new guys' lives in danger and held Vince at gunpoint. He needs to learn that he just can't _do that _to anyone." His forehead found its way into his palms as he hunched over in shame.

"Fuad's a prick." Mitchell announced. "I trust the new guys more than I trust him. If I had my way he'd be out on his ass."

Sully raised his head and scowled at his younger brother. "You're no better than he is in regards to putting peoples' lives in danger."

Mitchell returned the scornful look. "You don't have to remind me. I _know _that's my fault, asshole."

Becca was befuddled. She crossed her arms and spoke up, alarming the other five people in the room. "What are you talking about?" She asked to no avail. Instead of an explanation Emily got up, walked over to a corner of the room and waved Vince and Becca over. Annie was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, not paying much attention, and she was probably too young to understand whatever it was anyway.

As Vince and Becca walked up to Emily, she started speaking. "You should probably know they've been through some rough times. Don't ask about it, it's not your business. Hell, I might know, but it's none of my business either."

Becca turned and looked at Sully. He was watching their conversation intensely, squinting at Emily, presumably worried that she'd let something slip or tell them exactly what was up. Luckily for him she hadn't told them anything.

"I take it they lost someone?" Vince asked, shrugging like it was no big deal. Becca kind of agreed with him - everyone had lost someone at some point in time.

"Something like that." Emily replied vaguely as she looked over Vince's shoulder to look at Annie. "You might want to keep her out of the way of them for a while. Poor kid probably doesn't understand what's going on." She looked at Vince, then Becca, shrugged and said "I'll go talk to her."

"Thanks, Emily." Vince replied.

The red-headed woman turned back for a moment to correct him. "Just call me Em. Everybody does."

As the duo watched Emily stroll away, Becca spoke to Vince out of the corner of her mouth. "You know, I really don't like her." she muttered, dragging out her words.

"Why's that?" Vince asked, looking down on her as he stood to her right.

"She keeps giving me dirty looks. She doesn't like _me, _and I don't know _why._"

Vince chuckled to himself and crossed his arms. "Maybe it's your flawless personality."

Becca sniggered at the joke, even though it was at her own expense. "Maybe she's jealous of my looks; my scarred yet perfectly formed face; my worn out one-and-a-half hands. _Maybe _it's our huge group of hundreds. Maybe she wished she had a perfectly-alive older sister like I do." she giggled.

Vince emitted a rumble of laughter which subsided as his face fell. Looking at her, he asked, "When was the last time you laughed, Becca?"

Becca hadn't really thought about it before. "Probably months ago now." she shrugged.

Vince sighed, prompting Becca to stop watching Emily and Annie and turn to face him. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"This whole world... it's so fucking shit. I mean, I'm 'free', I'd be in jail now, but that seems like nothing. Kids like you, you shouldn't be fighting for your life every day. I shouldn't have to cut your hand in half to save your life. You should be at school with your friends and going home to your parents. Fuck, I'd go to jail if it meant everyone else could live normally," Vince confessed, looking at the ground."

Becca was taken back by Vince's sudden change in mood. "That's very noble of you, but it's easier said than done, Vinny-boy. If you think about it, if none of this had never happened, so many people would never have met. Annie comes from Tennessee and we all came from Georgia. We'd never have met her hell, we'd never have met each other. There's a chance I would've seen you walking down the street but we'd never have spoken."

"You never know, Shel could've brought home Mister Vince Sŭng one night after meeting him at the bar." he chuckled.

"You would have been in prison." Becca squinted as she realised what he was saying. "And are you saying that you and Shel..?"

"Oh!" Vince blurted, an awkward look on his face. "Just a hypothetical." He cleared his throat and stepped forward, speaking to everyone in the room. "Anyway, what are we going to do with this place?" Becca looked at all the broken windows and the broken barriers that had stood vigilantly the night before but lay dilapidated now.

"We can't stay." Sully groaned from the counter, his chin resting on his palm as he slumped in his chair with a detached look on his face. "But there's nowhere else we can go."

"Actually," Becca told him, "We came across a list of settlements back at an Outpost at Indiana. The Outpost itself was on the way to Wellington."

Mitchell scoffed. "For fuck's sake, the Wellington bullshit again? That shit's a pipe dream; no way is anything there."

"We've been there." Becca stated bluntly, narrowing her eyes at the teenager.

Emily was less dismissive. "How did it turn out?" She asked, enthused by the prospect of a settlement within the state.

Vince seemed spiteful when he responded. "Not well. They said they couldn't let us in because they were full. Couldn't make an _exception _because they'd made an exception before and they were already over capacity. They couldn't let one person in, let alone four. The asshole at the front gate said something like 'We're lucky it's me out here today, because some guards just don't have the balls to turn people away and it's doing a number on our supplies.'"

Mitchell removed his hands from the pockets of his hoodie and folded them across his chest. "Your point is..?" he asked, drawing out the last word. His impatience was almost tangible.

"At the Outpost on the way to Wellington we found a list of settlements. There were tons of them; small ones, big ones, all dotted around. We've checked out some but so far none have turned out well. If you guys want you can tag along with us until we find the right place." He stepped back once he'd made his offer. Becca wasn't sure why he was even asking if they wanted to come; Fuad and Mitchell were the human incarnation of trouble, and if any of the group jumped at the chance the rest would probably tag along. Daily arguments would not be something that Becca enjoyed.

Sully leaned back in his seat, slightly less dejected. "Might be our best bet." he grunted, still emotionally drained from his run-in with Fuad. "Didn't even think that there could be settlements in the state other than the infamous Wellington, and we all thought that was fake."

Emily nodded. "I don't exactly trust you newcomers - we've barely been together a day - but I trust Fuad's leadership even less. I can't speak for any of the others, but I'll come with you, and my uncle will probably follow."

Sully got out of his seat and walked over to Vince and Becca, the latter of whom watched as he smiled at them both. "Vince saved my life. I'm coming with you, too."

Mitchell was still sulking as he leaned against the wall, but he chimed in anyway. "Personally I think this is stupid, but I don't really have a choice because I was told to stick with Benji no matter what." Sully shuddered as his younger brother addressed him by his forename. Becca was confused until she realised that it would have been weird for Mitchell to refer to Sully as an abbreviation of their shared surname. "Sully" was probably something he'd picked up from his friends, while Benji was his family's nickname for him.

Becca's train of thought was broken as Sully spoke again. "You should probably tell the rest of your guys about what we're told Vince. We'll go and pack some gear. We'll leave tonight and try to hole up somewhere else to avoid that herd in the turned to Emily and Mitchell. We're done here, people. Let's clear out."


	13. Wake Up Call

**Day 963 Night**

**Annie**

Annie's eyes fluttered as she awoke from a clattering sound. The group had decided to shift everyone into the back room - while it was defensible, it was also horribly cramped. The seven year old had her right shoulder pressing against Wyatt's back and her left touching Becca's. Try as she might, she probably would not be able to fall asleep for the rest of the night. The assumption pained her because she had been dreaming of home again.

Whenever she dreamed, it was always a time before the apocalypse. In the bad dreams, her father was there, being mean to her, telling her to shut up and leave him alone but in the good dreams, she saw her mother.

Annie had never actually known her mother, and her father was a distant memory now, but both parents were never in the same dreams. She could make out every angry detail of her father's creased face, while her mother was but a silhouette amid light. Even though she'd never seen the woman's face, she felt safer with her than she did with her dad. Her mother would never talk, she would just watch Annie as she did whatever she was doing in her dreams.

She often wondered what had happened to her mother. She couldn't think of any reason why the woman had disappeared shortly after her birth and she'd never get answers from her father because he was long gone. He had never much liked her to begin with anyway. Maybe Wyatt was smart enough to work out what had happened. Annie hoped so - she'd ask him one day.

A scraping noise distracted her - walkers could be trying to get in. Annie didn't know who was on watch but it seemed like they weren't around. She noticed a figure walking through the room but she didn't do anything; moving would draw their attention and that could put her in danger. That was something Becca had taught her a few months ago when they'd been captured by bad people.

The figure moved and his face was exposed by the moonlight. Annie noticed Fuad pacing around, running his hands through his hair. He looked like a wreck.

Fuad stepped carefully over a sleeping person and placed something on the table at the back and centre of the room. He looked at the table for a second, took a deep breath and left.

Once Annie was sure he was gone, she grabbed Wyatt's arm and shook it in an attempt to wake him up. He only grunted in response so Annie had to shake him again, more violently.

With a grunt and a groan, Wyatt turned to face her, his eyes barely open. Before he could ask her what was up, Annie held a finger to her lips and hushed him, pointing to the door.

Wyatt got up and walked over to the door as Annie followed him into the convenience store. The walkers from the morning before were still lying dead on the floor, but Fuad wasn't in the room. Wyatt and Annie crossed over to the window and reeled back in shock when they saw the man climbing into their truck.

"Shit!" Wyatt hissed, scouring his pockets. "How did he get the keys?"

Annie shrugged, knowing full well that his eyes weren't on her. Wyatt ran to the front door and pushed it open, yelling for Fuad to stop the vehicle. His words held no power - Fuad simply adjusted the rear view mirror and took off down the road.

Wyatt fell to his knees as he watched the truck speeding away. Annie didn't know why, but she felt guilty and sad - maybe she was feeling the same thing that Wyatt was.

The door to her left swung open as Vince, Sully and Becca walked into the room in various states of consciousness. "What's the shouting about? Where are Wyatt and Fuad?" Sully questioned. In response Annie pressed a fingertip to the glass window and looked him in the eye.

As soon as he spotted the truck taking off, Sully worked out what was going on and flew into a fit of rage. "For _FUCK'S SAKE_, Fuad!" He yelled, closing a fist and punching through the glass window. He only succeeded in receiving several glass shards in his hand, causing him to wail in pain.

Startled by the noise, the last three people who had been asleep - Mitchell, Emily and Kiff - walked into the room and reeled back when they saw Sully's battered hand.

"What the fuck is going on?" Mitchell asked in a hushed yet forced voice.

Wyatt walked through the entrance and rubbed his eyes with a forefinger and thumb as he informed them bluntly. "Truck's gone. Fuad stole it."

Emily had hold of Sully's wrist and was trying to help him clean himself up. Annie walked over and watched in awe as Sully groaned in pain. She didn't exactly like the sight, but it was interesting. "You need to keep still," Emily said. "I can't help you if you keep struggling."

"How bad is it?" Sully asked, averting his gaze from the glass embedded in his hand. He grunted loudly as Em pulled a shard out of the back of his hand, causing Annie to hop back in surprise. "We don't have anything to stitch this up with," Emily said, "We're gonna have to bandage it and hope for the best. Annie, do me a favour and grab something we can put around his hand - there should be something in the back room."

Annie nodded and ran through the employees only door, happy that she could actually help with something. Maybe walkers and people scared her too much for her to be able to fight back, but perhaps her calling in life was to help people, not hurt them.

She surprised herself when she found bandages instantly, somehow knowing where to look. She rushed back into the front room and Emily smiled at her. "That was fast!" she praised.

Annie grinned and nodded silently as Em got to work. Sully looked at the seven-year-old and said "You're a good kid, Annie. It's good to know those still exist." He groaned again as his hand was bound up. "Fuck, how am I supposed to shoot a gun now? This is my good arm!"

Em sighed at the inconvenience. "That's why you don't go around punching windows, genius." She finished tying off the bandage and told him she was all done. Sully let his injured hand hang limp by his side as he stood up and stared out of the window.

"Where do you think he went?" Annie asked.

Sully sighed, "Guess I pushed too many buttons - pushed him too far, so he left." he scratched the back of his head.

"Now all that's left of our group is the dirty foursome." Kiff grunted from the other side of the room. "Fifty-three, narrowed down to four."

Wyatt cupped his hands to the side of his head as he stared through a small portion of glass that was not broken. "He's not gonna get far," he told them, "No one bothered to refuel the truck, so he's running on empty."

"How long will it take him to run out?" Becca asked.

"Three, maybe four miles. We're going that way to the next settlement chances are we'll run into him somewhere down the line." He pulled back from the window. "Not that I'm bothered," he admitted, "The guy tried to kill Vince and stole my truck."

Mitchell agreed with Wyatt as he chimed in. "Fuck Fuad. I'm not looking for him in the middle of the night. All we have to do is bring some fuel with us, find the truck wherever he leaves it and refill it."

"Can that thing really hold eight people, though?" Emily questioned. "What's the point of finding the truck if we can't all fit?"

"Fort Recovery isn't _that _far away. We can always take four people and then come back for the rest and just in case you still don't trust us, we'll take two of one group and two of the other." Wyatt informed them. The group nodded in agreement. "We'll leave in the morning, just as we planned. Anyone want to take first watch?"

Vince raised his hand and Sully instructed him on how to get to the roof. "The moment you see walkers, let us know."

The group all piled into the back room and found their sleeping spots. Annie brought up the rear, noticing something on the table at the back of the room a piece of paper. She remembered Fuad leaving something behind and she stuffed it into her pocket so that she wouldn't forget about it.

For now, though, she was tired. She lay back down between Becca and Wyatt and tried to get some sleep.


	14. Far From Home

**Day 964 – Morning**

**Wyatt**

The group walked down a road that was littered with shrubbery. Over the course of the three or so years of the apocalypse the roads had not been maintained and weeds had found their way to sunlight via cracks in the pavement. Wyatt admired the force of nature as he strolled down the path with the group to his back.

As he stared at the greenery, he realised how much he could really do with some weed.

He'd been planning to grow some all the way back in Carver's camp, but he had no way of doing it. If Reggie had helped him in the greenhouses he would have put a good word in with Carver. Reggie decided that it was too much of a risk - he'd rather do what he was told to get back into the fold rather than risk growing weed for someone to 'put in a good word' for him.

Vince was walking to Wyatt's left, his shoulder still sagging from his wound. Behind them Becca and Annie strolled along, Sully and Mitchell behind them and Kiff and Emily bringing up the rear. They had been walking for almost an hour, taking all the supplies that they could. As Wyatt looked back he saw that Sully's bandaged left hand was tucked under his right armpit as he grimaced in pain. His younger brother did not look that interested and was lagging behind slightly.

Wyatt squinted as he noticed something yellow on the horizon, to the side of the road. It wasn't their truck, as that was a dark blue-grey colour. He pointed it out to Vince and waved for the group to advance on the shape.

They all walked purposefully and briskly towards the object, which turned out to be a vehicle that had slipped off of the road. As they made their way closer Wyatt noted a black stripe that travelled across the back of the vehicle and along the side. Wyatt groaned as he recognised the type of automobile and the implications it potentially had.

"School bus." he moaned.

Vince looked over his shoulder. "Better keep the kids back, we don't want them to see this – just in case." Immediately Becca gripped Annie's shoulder and stopped her from walking any further and Sully did the same with Mitchell. The younger brother scoffed and said, "Are you kidding? I'm not _five_."

Wyatt, Vince, Em, Kiff, Sully and Mitchell walked up to the truck as Becca and Annie hung back. Mitchell confidently stared through the windows of the slightly tipped vehicle and instantly reeled back in horror. "On second thought," he said, "Think I'm gonna go over there with the other two."

The adults watched him briskly walk back over to Becca and Annie, various states of disapproval on their faces. Wyatt leaned over and looked into the bus as his stomach sank.

There were still kids in there. Dead kids. _Walker _kids all reaching up, dirt and mud up to their waists as they attempted to climb over each other to reach the living. Wyatt could barely tell whether they were male or female as they were so badly deformed and rotted, covered in dirt as the bus had sunk over time.

"Could've done without seeing that." Kiff grunted. "Poor kids, this is probably day one shit we're looking at: bus hits something, flies off the road, everyone dies."

Sully cleared his throat. "There's no driver in there. Hate to say it, but he probably made it out after all the kids died from the impact or left them to die."

"That's some messed up shit." Wyatt said, scratching his beard. "Let's just keep going, we can't do anything here." He waved for the rest of the group to follow him and they continued walking.

Vince didn't look that surprised by the sight. Wyatt asked him why, only for Vince to respond, "I've seen worse."

"When was that?" Wyatt questioned, pressing his friend for answers out of interest.

Vince took a deep breath. "Remember when we first left the camp, and we met the guy that killed Shel? You and Annie were downstairs when we found his secret – let's just say that it was like what we just saw."

Wyatt didn't exactly know what Vince meant, but after hearing his friend's explanation he didn't really want to know. He was glad he had not seen whatever Vince had.

Thinking about the man that had killed Shel sent him on a spiral into the past. Shel had been Becca's older sister, the one who had kept her out of harm. Before Shel's death Becca had been reckless and in harm's way, but afterwards she stopped taking things for granted and had generally mellowed out. As much as Wyatt hated the fact that Shel was dead, he liked the new Becca more than the old one.

The thought led him onto another group member they had lost, Russell. The last he had seen of him Russell had been shot twice by bandits and he'd disappeared. They had looked for him the following day but found no sign of their friend. Deep in his mind, though, Wyatt hoped he had escaped. They had let one of the bandits live – maybe that man had gone on to redeem himself, find Russell and help him out. That would be nice.

He was thoroughly certain that had never happened, though. They had lost another person back in Indiana, the nurse named Lucia, and they had not been sure whether she was dead either. As far as they could tell she had been bitten and had disappeared through a window – maybe she'd got away and cut her arm off in time but that was a hell of a stretch.

As Wyatt kept thinking about the people they had lost, he found that he couldn't stop. It was better to remember them rather than forget them, after all. Daniel – the guy who had given Annie her hat. Miles, who had been a good friend of Wyatt's for a while even if they had argued a lot. Bonnie, who they hadn't been able to track down during their escape and assumed she'd died with the rest of the guards on the roof. Ralph, the ex-scavenger who tried to change his ways and died saving the group from a herd.

All good people, all gone due to things they couldn't control. Then there were people like Ivan, Ethan, Brandon and Donald. Terrible people, bandits who had outlasted all but four of Wyatt's group. Why was it that the good died before the bad?

If that rule still applied, they would all be dead before Fuad.

Wyatt reached into his pocket and withdrew the list of settlements. Fort Recovery was the last in Ohio. The rest were in far off places like Maine and Vermont. Wyatt hoped this settlement was a sure deal because it would take all of their energy and all of their supplies to get any further.

The whole ordeal with the bus had thrown him off a bit. Wyatt had never wanted to see dead kids, but that went without saying. He had an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that would not subside. Adult walkers were fine- there were tons of them, he was used to it. Adults could take care of themselves. Kids, on the other hand, had someone who looked after them, and the ones that were dead had been split up from their carers or ditched by them. That disgusted him. He'd never do such a thing to Annie; he'd never leave her behind or allow himself to be separated from her. He was responsible for the child, and if anything happened to her he'd never be able to forgive himself.


	15. Taken By Surprise

**Day 964 – Midday**

**Vince**

Two hours worth of walking after they had spotted the school bus, the group stumbled across the truck. It had been left on the side of the road, but Fuad had possessed the courtesy to close all the doors and park it neatly. As far as Vince could tell the man had left on foot and continued walking. Vince wondered what his destination was – maybe he didn't have one and he was just following the road. They had done a similar thing a long time ago, after Shel's death. No goal set in mind, the group had wandered north only to meet new people and follow them to their destination. So much for that plan.

The group scanned the vehicle as Wyatt found that the keys were nowhere to be found. "Bastard kept the keys." He grunted.

"Typical Fuad." Sully grunted as he tucked his arm under his other armpit. "Never did want to let go of anything."

"At least it can't be stolen." Becca pointed out. "Then again someone could smash the windows and try to hot wire it."

Mitchell scoffed. "Do you actually know how long that takes? We don't live in the movies, idiot."

Becca scowled at him and turned to look at Vince and Wyatt. Vince watched as Wyatt rested his right arm on the truck cab and scratched his head with the other arm. "Vince, what are we gonna do about this?" he asked.

Vince shrugged. Even if they did have the keys the vehicle probably wouldn't support all eight of them. "Leave it here." he said. "If we run across Fuad we can come back for it, but we can't do anything with it if we don't."

Wyatt huffed. "Guess so, but we've had this thing for three months, dude. I'll be sad to see it go."

Vince shuddered as he remembered how they had come across the truck. "You remember where we got it from, though, right?"

Wyatt looked at the ground, knowing full well what Vince meant. They had procured the truck after holding a man at gunpoint – he was by no means a good person, but Vince still felt bad about it. Sometimes he wondered what had happened to that man, if he had actually made it anywhere or if he had died to walkers not long after they had sent him on his way.

"Let's just leave it." Wyatt murmured. He patted the roof of the truck and spoke to it as if it could hear him. "You were good while you lasted, dude. If we get the keys we'll come back for you."

Vince overheard Mitchell whispering "Is he always this weird?" but he refrained from shooting the teenager an angry glance. After what had happened with Fuad, provoking another member of Sully's group was the last thing he needed.

When he looked back, Vince saw that Wyatt was already walking away with Becca and Annie in tow. His brow furrowed for a second, but he thought no more of it as he continued walking down the path.

–

It was a shame that they had to leave the truck behind as it was a very precious resource, but they would not be able to do anything with it until they found the keys which were presumably in the possession of Fuad.

The group continued down the road until buildings became more prominent and they eventually found themselves in some sort of suburb. Fort Recovery could not be too far now.

They advanced on a park. The grass and bushes were out of shape and overgrown, but it was still fascinating to look at. Nature had benefited from the virus.

"Everyone take a breather." Vince ordered, gesturing to some benches which sat beside a fountain in the centre of the park. "We still have half of the day left so we should all get some rest while we can." He reached into the backpack that was slung over his good shoulder and pulled out his machete.

"What about you?" Becca asked. "Don't you need rest too?"

Vince shook his head. "I'm gonna go and look around. I won't go far."

Leaving the group in the park, Vince wandered off on his own to get an idea of the small town they were in. The houses were all detached, mainly made out of wood, with large gardens and driveways. Vince counted nine windows on the front of each house – considering how excluded this area was, it was probably home to some moderately wealthy people with everything being built around the central point that was the park.

Vince turned a corner and found himself on a long street with houses on either side. At the end of the road he spied a small grocery store and decided that it would be worth scouting out on the off chance that supplies were in there, even if it was more likely that the place had already been raided.

Before he made it even halfway down the road, someone called out to him.

"Ho-ho, traveller!" The voice was deep but warm and it echoed as it passed down the street.

Vince twisted on the spot, his hood swinging as he turned. He reached for his backpack and the pistol that was contained inside, keeping his eyes on the figure at the end of the road.

It was a dark-skinned man with a bald head. He was tall, with a wide set of shoulders and was a generally imposing figure. "What are you doing, traveller?"

The man did not seem to be asking for a fight – his tone was not sarcastic or condescending - so Vince answered him with a skewed version of the truth, ignoring the fact that he had a group. "Scouting – for supplies."

"Well, you don't want to search that store, traveller. Most of the food in there is rotten and I took what wasn't. Come here and I can give you some if you want." The man replied.

Vince was unsure. "You want me to come over there? I don't even know you." He held his pistol firmly in his right hand as his machete rested loosely in his limp left hand.

"Ah. I can see that, traveller. You have trust issues." The man shrugged. "That's fair enough – so let's get to know each other. Name's Bennett."

"Vince." Vince replied, still unsure. "What's your angle, man? Why didn't you just avoid me?"

Bennett scratched the area above his eyebrow, prompting Vince to notice he was unarmed. "Just felt like helping out a traveller, you know? Kind of gets tiresome without any decent conversation – it's been a couple of months now and I've barely spoken to anyone."

Vince furrowed his brow as he looked at Bennett. This man was being oddly kind and honest, but he couldn't be sure. Vince's grip tightened on his gun as he said "You can come to me, I'm not walking to you."

Bennett lifted his arms in mock surrender. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?" He chuckled under his breath as his arms fell limply by his sides and he grinned. As he came within a metre of Vince he grabbed the man's arm and pressed the muzzle to his temple. "Please do it. Please do it." He grunted.

Vince backed off in confusion as Bennett opened his backpack and handed Vince a couple of things – water bottles, energy bars, a single carrot and a can opener. "I had two can openers." the stranger explained. "Anyway, this has been fun – we should do it again sometime. Well, see you around, traveller."

The tall man turned his back on Vince and started walking off but Vince halted him. "Wait, man." he said, "I have a group. You seem like a good enough guy, do you want to stick around for a while?"

Bennett's face lit up as he turned around. The happiness on his face practically lit up the street before he shook his hands and regained himself. "Sounds fun." he said, "I'll come, but only until I get bored. Then it's back to being solo for ol' Bennett."

Vince nodded and started leading his newly found friend back to his group. "You haven't seen a man with glasses pass through here by any chance, have you?" he questioned.

"Can't say that I have," Bennett replied, "Thanks for having me, by the way, things get kind of crazy when you're out there on your own."

Vince's mind flashed back as he recalled several memories of people who had been on their own or had been put in terrible situations alone. "You're telling me." he replied.


	16. A Pipe Dream

**Day 964 – Afternoon**

**Becca**

It was not long before Vince returned, but he was not alone. A tall black man carrying a greyish-tan backpack was with him, grinning happily. Becca was slightly unnerved by the smile - who knew what this man was up to.

"Wow, there's a lot of you. Ho-ho, travellers!" the man greeted, "My name is Bennett, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I have food and supplies of my own so you don't need to worry about me. I'm just looking for company."

Most of the group shrugged then exchanged awkward glances. Becca kept staring at the man and Mitchell's head fell into his palms. The man stood silently for a minute, observing the group as he muttered "Not going to introduce yourselves? That's fine, I guess." He walked over and sat down on the brick wall that ran all the way around the park. Once he was out of earshot Becca noticed Sully stand up and walk over to Vince.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Sully asked. "Does he know about Fuad?"

Vince shook his head, "No, but it might be useful having an extra pair of hands. He looks like he can hold his own and he seems nice enough, so he'll be fine."

"I'm only around until I get bored!" Bennett called from about ten metres away, unable to hear what they were saying but making assumptions that they were talking about him. "I'll be here a couple of days at most."

"Good to have you on board, dude," Wyatt yelled back from the other side of the park, "But can you not shout so loud? It'll attract walkers."

Bennett shrugged. "You're doing it too!"

Becca heard a hefty sigh coming from Wyatt's direction as they both ceased to talk to each other. There was something odd about this newcomer. It didn't exactly have bad implications, but he seemed excitable and unrighteously happy. _"Maybe that's not a bad thing,"_ she thought, _"This group needs to be lightened up a bit, anyway."_

"So," Bennett said, walking into the middle of the group as Sully and Vince continued to discuss matters, "Where exactly are we headed?"

"A place called Fort Recovery," Becca informed him, "Have you heard of it?"

Bennett sucked air through his teeth. "You don't want to be going that way," he told her as he calmed down slightly, "Ain't nothing there. They were supposed to be building a settlement but it never got anywhere. There's only so much you can do with wooden barriers – I'll tell you what they should have used; metal. Metal trucks, metal cars, metal buses, corrugated metal. Anything shiny and strong, really, though about three layers of brick can work too."

Becca interrupted his train of thought. "Are you saying that the settlement is gone entirely?"

"Was never there, kiddo." Bennett scratched his chin as he paused for thought. "What's plan B? I heard Vince over there say something about a guy that should have passed through here?"

Kiff climbed out of his seat and walked over to the man, talking as he did so. "We're looking for our friend called Fuad. Have you seen him at all?"

"Can't say I have." the newcomer replied. "You folks hungry? I have some carrots. Carrots are good for you, you know. I gave Vince one but he never ate it." He reached into his backpack and handed a carrot to Annie, who was sitting to Becca's right. "There you go, kid. Eat a couple of carrots; they're good for your bones... I think."

Annie held the carrot at arm's length as she looked at each member of the group for support. Becca found it mildly amusing but tried not to laugh so as not to embarrass the seven-year-old.

She sighed with relief as Vince and Sully returned to the main portion of the group. Becca noticed Annie slide the carrot into one of the pockets of her hooded sweatshirt as Vince spoke. "Everyone ready to keep going?" he asked. "Fort Recovery can't be far away."

"I was just telling the kid," Bennett said, pointing at Becca, "Fort Recovery doesn't exist. They didn't actually finish reinforcing the place."

Sully's eyes thinned as he looked at Bennett. "How do you know this?" he asked.

"I was coming back from that way; I've been looking for somewhere to live, too. Saw it with my own two eyes, there's nothing that the dead wouldn't get through."

Sully groaned. "Guess we'll just carry on looking for Fuad until we find somewhere to hole up for the night. We'd better get a move on." He waved for the others to get up and follow him as he started walking through the park. Becca wasn't exactly excited at the idea of having to walk for miles but she knew better than to complain. That said, her feet ached like hell and it was getting tiresome.

Becca fell into line behind Vince and carried on walking, sighing to herself as she did so. They had been holding out hope for a settlement that still stood, but it seemed like Fort Recovery had just been a pipe dream all along; it had never even been a settlement according to Bennett, it seemed as if some people had been looking to make it one but never succeeded in their plans.

All they had now was their quest to find Fuad. Becca wasn't exactly fussed. The man had ditched them and even left the truck behind so he probably didn't want to be found. Whenever she had 'run away' from home after an argument with her parents she had run down the street, hid in a friend's house for a couple of hours and then went crawling back as she had nowhere else to stay. If Fuad still hadn't turned back, then she assumed that he'd made up his mind and didn't regret his decision – that, or he was too stubborn to admit his mistakes. Judging by his attitude towards her group the second option was probably more likely.

Becca rubbed the bandage that was tied around her right hand. She had no actual use for it considering her hand had practically healed up, but she liked to keep it as a comfort mechanism. It made her hand feel less vulnerable, even if it was still damaged beyond repair.

Wyatt's list was running low on potential settlements; Becca had seen it herself. There were less than five the last time she had looked and one of those had been Fort Recovery. Two of the other four were in Maine, one was in Vermont and the last was in Massachusetts; getting to any of those would be a pain and it would push them to their limit. Becca kept wondering if they should set up their own settlement and see if it fared any better.

"_Maybe that mall back in Indiana would work,"_ she thought to herself. _"Just an idea."_


	17. Lost In Thought

**Day 964 – Evening**

**Annie**

"So, where are you from?"

Annie's attention was drawn by Em, who was walking beside her. It was getting close to night now; the sky had turned to a deep orange as the sun started descending below the horizon. Annie quite liked it – she thought it was pretty.

"Tennessee." She answered, not looking at Emily as she uttered the word. There was not much else she could say about it. She had only been about four or five when things went downhill, and she couldn't really remember much of life before other than her father and lack of mother.

"You don't really have the accent." Emily hummed. "Did you have any brothers or sisters?" Annie caught her wincing with regret right after she asked the question. Luckily for the seven-year-old, it wasn't a touchy subject. "Nope." she replied bluntly.

Relieved that the question had not touched a nerve, Em pursued her efforts as she tried to get to know Annie better. "Would you have liked one?"

Annie shook her head. "I have Becca." For some reason she felt distant; she had been that way ever since she'd seen Fuad steal the truck. Why did he leave his friends behind? Why didn't he tell anyone? The many questions flowing around her mind were not easily answered by an adult, let alone a seven-year-old.

"When's your birthday?" Emily questioned. Annie was getting quite annoyed by the constant badgering she was receiving. "June eleventh." she sighed, tipping her head back in boredom. As she looked at the sky above she remembered that Vince had given her a watch earlier in the day; he had found it in the museum they'd been exploring before Becca accidentally shot him. It was green, too, which was her favourite colour. Slightly blue, but green nonetheless. Apparently Vince knew her better than she had first thought. She eyed the watch, which displayed the date as well as the time. Luckily it was digital – she had never worked out how to use the 'other' type of clock.

The face of the tool told her that it was 7:13pm on the seventeenth of April. Only fifty-six days until her eighth birthday. She wondered what everyone would get her, if they got her anything at all.

The way they were going it would be dark before they would find somewhere to sleep and that worried her. They had left all the buildings in the suburb behind and they were back on a road in the middle of nowhere again. Thankfully Em had abandoned her pursuit and had slowed down to walk behind Annie and talk to her Uncle Kiff.

Annie quite liked Kiff. He was loud and large, but kind at the same time; her idea of what an uncle should be. In a way he sort of reminded her of Wyatt, too, but an older Wyatt who didn't keep mentioning how he couldn't keep going without some 'grass' or 'plant' or something. Annie was often kept awake as Wyatt listed random phrases, words and names. Often he talked about someone called "Eddie," and someone called "Bonnie," along with Shel and Miles and Russell. Annie knew about the last three, but the name Eddie was foreign to her and she could only vaguely recognise the name Bonnie. She did not take it into account much; people all had regrets, things they wished they had said or done. Annie wished she'd found her mother or said goodbye to her father; as much as he didn't much care about her she couldn't bring herself to hate him back.

If her dad could see her now, she liked to think he would have been proud - if he wasn't dead. She was starting to find her place in the group – she was no fighter, but she was learning how to help people rather than crush heads. She had asked Emily about learning how to help patch up wounds back when they had stopped to rest in the park. Em had agreed to help, but made sure Annie knew that she didn't know much herself. Even if she didn't learn a whole lot, Annie would have been glad to help like she had with Sully's hand in spite of it happening only once or twice.

She looked to her left to notice Sully backing up to walk alongside her. "Thanks for the help with my hand, kid." he said, nodding to his bandaged arm which he was holding by the wrist. "Nowhere near as bad as Becca's. You were there for that, right?"

Annie shook her head. "Me and Wyatt and some other people got split up from Becca, Vince and another man. We only met up in time to see it after it had happened... and you already said thank you."

"Damn, that's gotta be rough. Did you see it?" Sully seemed incredibly interested in the events. "I've never seen someone survive a bite before and Vince won't tell me anything about it. What was it like?"

"Wyatt didn't let me look so I don't know. I've only seen it a couple of times without the bandage and it gives me the creeps. I still like Becca but it's weird to look at." Annie admitted, hanging her head in guilt.

Sully shrugged. "You're only a kid, if stuff creeps you out it's not really your fault." He paused and sighed, then lifted his head back up and smiled again. "When our group was much bigger we used to have someone like you. Always keen to help out and join in, but she was never too keen on the walkers. Kept away from 'em as much as possible. She was a lot older than you, but there were so many of us to begin with I can never really remember how old exactly." He took a deep breath and looked away, as if he was holding something back. "She... uh, she left. With some other guys."

Annie caught his eyes flitting around with guilt. She assumed that he wasn't telling her everything, but with the world the way it was, stories became awfully long - no doubt he was leaving out some details that weren't important. Sully looked around cautiously, then nodded to her and sped up to continue walking next to his brother and Bennett who were just ahead.

Annie wasn't sure what to make of Bennett. He seemed nice and funny, but it had only been a couple of hours since they had met him. He could turn out to be a bad person; a criminal who escaped jail during the outbreak or something. If anything people of that calibre were more equipped to deal with crushing heads and killing the undead. That said, Bennett didn't seem the type. He was harmless and giving as far as Annie could tell; Vince had been alone when they met, he could have just shot him and been on his way. He wasn't even planning to go with the group until Vince asked him if he wanted to – that said a lot about the man.

She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands and wiped her fringe out of her face. They had woken up at around five in the morning and it was quarter past seven now – she was getting tired. She was too young to stay up for fourteen hours, and her eyelids were starting to get heavy, likely the cause of her annoyance with Em's persistent questioning earlier.

Annie's train of thought was cut off as Vince halted at the front of the group. Annie crept forward, pushing past Sully and Becca who were ahead of her, and found her way behind Wyatt and Vince.

"Down there," Vince said, his right arm outstretched as he pointed with his machete. "See it?"

Wyatt held a hand over his forehead to shield his eyes from the light of the setting sun. "Yeah, movement. Walkers?"

Vince shook his head, then turned to the rest of the group nudging his head in the direction he had been looking. "Looks like we've found our guy." he announced.


	18. At Wit's End

**Day 964 – Evening**

**Wyatt**

"Looks like we've found our guy." Vince declared. Wyatt's eyebrows raised at the suggestion and sure enough he could see a humanoid figure further down the road, staggering and stumbling towards two cars that were parked on either side of the road to form a bottleneck.

"Could be a walker, dude." Wyatt muttered, "What should we do?"

Vince paused for thought, and then turned to look at the other seven group members. "Everyone hang back here. Sully – with us." He jerked his head in the direction of the figure, signifying their destination. "Stay quiet, in case it's a walker. Let's roll."

Wyatt fell into line behind Vince, Sully bringing up the rear. He offered a quick glance back to the group and saw them folding their arms and waiting patiently, following Vince's orders. Some of them looked nervous; Bennett didn't even know what was going on.

The figure had moved past the cars, which Vince ducked behind, Wyatt and Sully following suit. As they crouched down, Sully asked them "Is it him?"

Vince peered over the car and then retreated back down with a concerned look on his face. "Too dark to tell – if there weren't so many damn trees..."

"Can't we just call out to him? H-" Sully started calling to the figure but Vince pinned his hand over the man's mouth. "Are you crazy?" he hissed tersely. "Who knows what else shouting your ass off like that would bring out? It's a miracle you made it this far, Sullivan."

"I'll let you have that," Sully grunted, wiping his mouth, "Considering you saved my life the other day."

Wyatt wasn't paying much attention to the conversation, instead opting to look over the rear of the car at the figure a couple of metres away. "Looks like a walker to me, the way it's moving and everything. If it were Fuad he'd probably be almost sprinting down here with an undeserved sense of importance."

Sully scowled at him. "I might not be too fond of the guy, but it's my fault he's gone, okay? If we don't find him then I'll blame myself – don't just_ joke_ about it."

"Jeez, sorry." Wyatt apologised, looking back at the group. "I'll save that one for Kiff if it's not in bad taste at some point."

Vince shut them both up with more orders. "Sully, you sneak up on him. If it's Fuad, there's a higher chance he'll listen to you than me or Wyatt. If it's a walker, get its attention and use this." He handed Sully his machete, which the man took with his non-dominant hand. He took a few practice swings, then shrugged. "This hand's not as good as I'd like it, but it'll take a walker down without much problem."

"We'll cover you if anything goes wrong. You're not getting bitten today." Wyatt assured him. "Go on, dude."

Sully looked to his right without turning his head, then backed up and started creeping towards the figure, ready to swipe if it turned out to be undead. Wyatt took a few tentative steps forward for a follow up attack until Sully drew himself up to his full height, about a metre away from the being.

The figure looked over its shoulder - not with the dull, slow demeanor of a walker but the quick, sharp jolt of a living being. "It's fine," Sully said, turning his back on the person. "It's Fuad, we're all good-"

In an instant the man turned and grabbed Sully around the neck with one arm and pinned the barrel of a pistol to his temple, Vince's machete clattering uselessly to the ground. "Fuad, what're you doing?" Sully cried, barely able to speak as the grip on his throat tightened.

In some deep, dark corner of his heart Wyatt hoped it had been a bandit or a scavenger, but indeed it was Fuad, still wearing the same green shirt from before, stained in blood. One of the lenses of his glasses was cracked, and he had a fearful look in his eye. Vince and Wyatt stood up in front of him, prompting Fuad to back off, dragging Sully with him and aiming his pistol at them instead.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Wyatt asked as he saw the entirety of Fuad's arm shaking. "It's _us_, we came to find you."

Fuad shook his head as he shuffled backwards. "I do not want to die." He muttered.

"We're not going to kill you," Vince replied. "We came to find you; we came to help."

"It's true," Sully strained, "We brought everyone, we'll find somewhere new."

Fuad merely replied "I do not want to be dead."

"You're not. We helped you, dude." Wyatt told him. "Put the gun down and we can talk about this."

"I do not want to die!" Fuad cried out, his wrist shaking even more as it threatened to buckle under the weight of the pistol. "Please, come no closer, I can not... I..." He turned his head and coughed, his throat rumbling and spluttering as he did.

"What's the matter, dude?" Wyatt asked, but Vince halted him. Wyatt turned to look at his friend, who glanced at him with dismay and bleakness. "What the matter is, is what's always the matter." Vince told him.

"What, is that a quote or..?" Wyatt thought aloud, before putting it all together. Fuad's claims about how he was 'dead', the coughing, possibly even the confusion and the shaking. "...Oh." He replied.

"I do not want to _die." _Fuad groaned. "I... no... please."

Vince took a step forward, prompting Fuad to point the gun at him. "It's okay," he told him. "We know what's happened. Just... show us where."

Fuad looked Vince in the eye, sighed, and wrapped his right arm around Sully's neck as he tried to push the sleeve of his left arm up using the side of his body. Once it was up far enough, his eyes closed and he received a twinge of pain as he lifted his arm. Just below his wrist there was a bite. Nothing significant, but a bite didn't need to be significant to be a time bomb.

"You did not read my note." Fuad deduced as he pressed the barrel of his gun back into Sully's temple. "All of this could have been avoided, had you read my note."

"Note?" Wyatt asked, "What note? There was no note."

"I left you a note, explaining my absence and what I was doing. I expected you to find it, beard man, considering you chased me to the truck yourself."

As Wyatt stepped closer and Fuad backed off again, he noticed how the man's eyes were flooded yellow behind his glasses and his skin had turned from a rich, light brown to a pallid, pale grey. He was infected all right, and he had been for a while. It was too late to cut his arm off now.

"If you had read the note you would not have come!" Fuad cursed through gritted teeth. "Now you have to see me become one of those... _things..._ or I have to kill you so you do not. I am not sure which I would prefer taking into account certain accusations... about... my... responsibilities." He lifted and pressed the barrel of the gun into Sully's head as he spat the last three words out like dirt.

"If you... let me go we can... help you." Sully groaned, his eyes weeping as his face turned red.

"Nobody can save me now." Fuad grimaced, "I am dead. I do not want to be one of those things but I do not have the courage to end it myself."

"We can always... do it for you." Vince replied. "You'd never know, you'd never have to deal with it. I would."

Fuad pointed his gun back at Vince. "You would... kill a man willingly?"

Vince sighed, took a step back and muttered, "It's not the right thing to do but it's the best we can give you. I would kill a man willingly if his only other option was turning into a walker."

Wyatt didn't exactly think Vince's words made any sense, but they had struck a chord with Fuad. The man slowly released Sully and pushed him forwards, back towards Wyatt and Vince. As Sully rubbed his throat and hunched over, Fuad looked at the pistol that rested in his hands. He looked at the bite on his left arm, then chambered a round in his weapon.

"I wish this had never happened to you." Vince told him. "We can wait until you're ready."

Fuad looked up and smiled a shaky, sickly, uncertain smile. "I almost shot you."

"I'm not happy about doing this, you know." Vince replied sternly. "Our only other option is letting you turn and dealing with you then, but you don't want to turn." He reached forward for the gun, but Fuad held out his palm to stop him. "No, I do not need you to do this. This is morally wrong and I am against it with all of my being but..." he sighed.

Vince looked at him, confused. "What are you doing?"

"No way out," Fuad said, lifting the gun, "This is my decision. The last one I ever make – to end the suffering. I am bitten, and there is no escape from the jaws of the dead. Deep down I knew it had to be done, but I couldn't do it alone. In the end, I am glad you're all here with me. Thank you." Fuad pressed the barrel of the pistol to his temple and fired.


	19. Beside The Fire

**Day 964 – Night**

**Vince**

The group found a small warehouse to camp in. Bennett had managed to set up a fire which Vince, Wyatt and Sully were sitting around on crates. He remembered the reactions to Fuad's suicide; Emily and Kiff had been shocked, crouching over the body. Mitchell had been less surprised but he still watched the other two members of his group with wide eyes. Bennett, Annie and Becca had not been all that affected and walked right past without paying much attention, though Annie's head was hung low. She was affected by death no matter who had died.

Vince stared into the flickering orange glow, his eyes threatening to droop and pull him into unconsciousness. He glanced at Wyatt out of the corner of his eye, tilting his head only slightly, but the man still noticed. After Fuad had shot himself his body had fallen limp, catapulted to the left by the shot. His head had connected with the bonnet of one of the cars at the side of the road and his glasses had fallen off. The group would have buried the man but they lacked a shovel, so they put the corpse in one of the cars, safe from walkers.

"It's my fault." Sully grunted, his head hung as he sat on the opposite side of the fire to Vince. His voice was oddly low and guttural. "If I hadn't mentioned his family he wouldn't have taken off." He pressed his index finger and thumb to his forehead. "This is all so... fucked."

"You couldn't have known that this was how it would have turned out, dude," Wyatt told him. "None of this is your fault – it's just how life works now."

Vince took a deep breath. "If anything, it's my fault. I told him that death was pretty much the only escape." He turned to Wyatt for support. "You don't think... I told him to kill himself, right?"

"No. I doubt it." Wyatt shook his head. "We all know what happens when someone gets infected. He was gonna die either way... this just... saved him the pain. Even if killing yourself is a terrible thing to do, at least it saves you from being one of _them_."

"Any other situation and it would've been even worse." Sully agreed. "There were no other options."

Wyatt looked over his shoulder to see Annie walk up to him, wiping her eyes and yawning. She wasn't wearing her signature hat; instead it rested in her left hand as she handed a folded piece of paper to Wyatt with her right. Wyatt did not unfold it, instead opting to stare at it as he held it with both hands. He leaned over and handed it to Vince, who strained as he gripped it with his sore left arm.

"What's that?" Sully asked, unable to see what Vince was holding through the fire.

"Fuad said he left a note." Vince informed him. "I guess this is it."

Wyatt pushed himself off of the crate he was sitting on. "You can read it if you want, but I won't. Whatever's in there will probably make me feel more guilty." He stood up and turned to walk over to where the rest of the group slept, placing a hand on Annie's back to guide her in the same direction.

"I'll read it." Sully stated, staring at Vince from the other side of the flames. "If you want to or don't, that's your choice."

Vince looked at the note and sighed as his thumb found one of the folds in the paper. Soon enough he found himself staring at a wall of text on a sheet of lined paper, the last thing Fuad ever wrote. As far as he could tell it had been pulled from a notepad judging by the holes at the top which had been torn as the author ripped it from the rest of the sheets. Vince wiped his eyes and stared at the paper as he began to read.

"_To the group,"_ it read, _"I apologise for the actions that follow writing this letter. I have to leave. During my watch on the roof I became tired and opted to walk around the immediate area to prevent myself from falling asleep. In doing so I was caught off guard by one of the walkers which surfaced from the forest. I disabled it with a blow to the head but I was bitten during the chaos – on my left arm, below the wrist._

"_I know not what happens to those who are bitten, whether they become tired or gradually lose their self control over time, but I cannot risk turning and endangering the group. Therefore I will leave, taking the truck to put as much distance between us as I can. I ask that you do not follow as I do not want you to see me in the state I shall be in before my time is up._

"_Writing this has given me time to think. I cannot find it within myself to forgive Sullivan for what he said about my part in the death of my wife and boy, though I understand his mindset in that situation. I still cannot find it within myself to trust the new people, even if I am proved wrong about them. I apologise for my actions, however, and hope that they can forgive me knowing what my rash behaviour has caused – my own demise._

"_I must leave now to maximise the amount of distance I can put between us. Thank you for the past three years, but I must be going. Rest easy knowing that I am with my family. - Fuad."_

Vince rubbed the area between his eyebrows with a single finger as he finished reading the letter. He folded it up and gave it to Sully, who stared at the note intently as he read, holding it with his bandaged hand.

"Goddamnit." He uttered once he was finished reading. "Fuck. If we had just found this before we left the gas station we would have known what was going on. Fucking hell... we should've... we should've read this earlier."

Vince shook his head. "Annie found it. I guess she must have forgotten about it until now. Better she found it and forgot to tell us rather than someone with more understanding who just didn't say anything."

Sully huffed and looked at his feet. "Guess so. Can't really blame a kid for all of this. What do we do now? This warehouse isn't the best place to stay in long-term."

Vince pushed himself into a standing position and rubbed his eyes – fatigue creeping after all that had happened that day. "Just try and get some sleep for now, we'll figure it out in the morning. We don't need to over-think anything while we're tired."

Sully raised his eyebrows at Vince before closing his eyes for a few seconds. He wiped his face with his palms and got up to walk over to Emily, Mitchell and Kiff, all three of whom were sleeping. The man practically collapsed as he lay down back-to-back with Em, resting his head in his right hand with a breathy groan.

Vince placed his hand over his right shoulder and felt his finger touch the frayed fabric of the hole where he had been shot two days prior. The wound still hurt immensely whenever his attention wasn't drawn, but his mind was rarely free most of the time. At least the injury wasn't fatal; no one was going to kill him that easily.

He grabbed a bucket of water which they had retrieved from a nearby river and tipped it over the fire to put it out - the light could potentially attract bandits and that would be dangerous if they were all asleep. Vince dragged his feet over to where his group was sleeping and saw Annie shielded by Becca and Wyatt as she slept, just as usual. He found his place next to Becca and lay down on his back, putting his hands behind his head. The floor was cold and uncomfortable, but after everything that had happened that day Vince found it hard to stay awake and instead opted to drift off to sleep.


	20. Live In Hope

**Day 965 – Mid Morning**

**Becca**

Becca travelled down yet another road with her hands in her pockets, her joints still sore from all the walking they had done the day before. The group staggered in silence, some of them still reeling from Fuad's death the previous night. Becca wasn't too concerned as she had never really known or liked the man, but the gunshot shook her as she had not been able to see the events as they had occurred. For a moment she assumed that Vince or Wyatt had been shot but was relieved when they waved the group over.

She was surprised to find out that Fuad had killed himself, and she still didn't know the full story. Judging by the state of his body he had been infected at some point and as they had searched the area for shelter she heard Sully mention something about a note. Waking up before anyone else, Becca spied a piece of paper in the remnants of the fire Bennett had set up the night before, retrieving a scrap with the name 'Sullivan' scrawled on it – as far as she could tell Fuad had given them a note before he killed himself or something along those lines. Sully had been the quietest since Fuad's death. Perhaps he blamed himself for the death of the man, when it was probably Fuad's fault that he had been bitten in the first place as there were no walkers in the immediate area.

Becca turned around to see Annie lagging behind slightly. She looked at Kiff and Emily who were walking directly behind her and made sure they knew she was going to move out of line. They both looked from Becca to Annie and then walked around her to provide her with more space.

Becca slowed down and placed her hand on Annie's back to guide her as she walked. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"My feet hurt." Annie replied bluntly, not making eye contact. "I'm really tired."

Becca chuckled. "Well, I can't exactly carry you. I would if I could. I'll ask Vince if we can stop in a while."

"Okay." Annie groaned. She didn't sound happy about having to walk for an indefinite amount of time, but she held her tongue. Sometimes her polite attitude got the better of her.

Becca patted the younger girl's back and smiled. "Come on, I'm sure we'll be able to stop soon." She guided Annie back into formation, behind Wyatt and Vince but ahead of Emily and Kiff. Bennett took them by surprise, appearing next to them out of nowhere.

"Is the kid tired?" He asked. "Can't say I'd blame her with stubby legs like she has." He smiled and stooped slightly, directing his next words at Annie. "You want a piggyback?"

Becca eyed the heavy backpack slung over Bennett's shoulders. "Are you sure you're up to it?" she asked.

"I've carried heavier than this pack and a kid." Bennett said, crouching down so that Annie could climb onto his shoulders. "Once carried a man out of a burning building. He wasn't exactly skinny, either." He gestured to his stomach as he drew himself back up to his full height as Annie took a sigh of relief.

"Were you part of a group with him?" Becca asked, eager for some more information on the mysterious man.

Bennett shook his head. "Not at all. This was _before. _I was a fireman. Rescued plenty of people from burning buildings, though I always feel like I could have saved more, y'know?"

Becca avoided his gaze. "Trust me, I know the feeling."

Bennett scowled. "That feeling should be reserved for people like me who accept that it may happen when they sign up for it, not kids like you. Bet the big guys up front probably feel the same way about that fella last night."

Becca looked up at Annie; the girl looked a lot more cheerful now that she didn't have to use her legs. "How are you doing up there?" Becca asked. In response Annie merely grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Bennett almost tipped over as the group stopped abruptly. Becca looked past Vince and Wyatt to see some walkers dead ahead. There were no more than seven or eight, but Vince insisted that everyone hang back.

"Wait here, this will only take a second." He ordered, gesturing for Wyatt and Kiff to follow him as he advanced on the dead. He readied his blade and led the other two forwards, preparing to strike the closest walker.

A banging noise threw the man off-balance, prompting Becca to dart forward and try to help. She barely stopped him from slipping over, pushing him back onto his feet but spraining her wrist due to his weight. Vince turned to thank her but her gaze was firmly set on the horizon.

The walkers had all turned to stumble towards the source of the noise that had taken Vince off-guard. As they stumbled down the road Becca saw something she never expected to see. Galloping towards the walkers were three brown horses with riders saddled on their backs. The one in the centre of the road was wielding a shotgun which Becca guessed was the source of the loud noise. As they rode their horses down the path, the two riders on either side leaned inwards, sharp, pointed weapons in hand. As the tools connected with the heads of the walkers in the road, they sliced through and disabled them instantly.

The bodies collapsed to the ground as the steeds ground to a halt in front of the group. Becca and Vince took a step back as the rest of the group looked on in awe; the three riders leaped off of their horses and landed on the ground simultaneously, as if the act had been practiced rigorously until their timing was perfect.

Becca's attention was drawn by the man in the centre who had been wielding the shotgun. He had a bald head with small eyes, a thin beard, and was was quite broad but not overweight. He paced back and forth with an impatient energy as he eyed the group one by one. To his left stood a woman who was actively leaning on her horse, stroking her chin as she crossed one of her legs over the other and raised an eyebrow. The final member of the horse riders was another man with a receding black hairline but a full beard. He was skinny and looked the least sure of himself as he turned to look away from the group and instead tend to his mount.

Vince slowly lifted his pistol, unsure of these peoples' intentions, but the man in the centre merely lifted his hands in surrender and looked Vince in the eye. "No weapons," he said in a gruff, hoarse voice, "We just want to have a chat."

In response Vince shrugged and lowered his weapon as the man stared at him. "What do you want to _chat _about?" He responded.

"Let's get the introductions out of the way, then I'll say what I need to say." The man smirked. Becca found it hard to tell if it was genuine or sinister – trust was hard to come by these days. "My name is Silas," the man said, lightly touching his chest with his left hand before nodding his head to each of his allies. "These two are Sonja and Hector."

Vince's eyebrows were still firmly pressed down as he stared at them in confusion. "...Vince." He touched Becca's shoulder. "This is Becca and to my right are Wyatt and Kiff. Back there are Sully, Em, Mitchell-"

"Okay, okay. I get that you understood the question, but there's a lot of you." Silas replied. "You seem like the kind of man who is willing to cooperate. Am I correct in that assumption?"

Vince nodded. "You are. So say what you have to say and be clear about it."

Silas dropped his shotgun to the ground and rubbed his hands together, before interlocking his fingers and pushing his palms outwards. "All right-y, then, Vince and friends. As you can tell, we have horses. How would one support a horse, I hear you ask? Well, the answer is, we have a settlement and we're looking to recruit."

"This sounds familiar." Wyatt muttered. Vince and Becca nodded, understanding what he meant.

Silas continued his speech. "We're only looking to recruit hard working, cooperative people. You can all come or one of you can come, but considering your group is as big as it is, I'd say that you cooperate well."

Vince slowly nodded in response to the question as the stranger continued. "Your jobs will involve guard duty as well as securing the perimeter, but you'll hear more of your duties once you speak to our leader should you choose to join us. You'd be free to leave whenever you want."

"All the regular community service duties." Vince muttered, "We've heard it all before. How do we know we can trust you?"

"What else could we want from you? If we wanted supplies we'd have brought more men, if we wanted to kill you we would have brought more men and avoided the talking." Silas answered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Could be cannibals." Becca muttered. "How do we know you won't eat us?"

Silas pointed a thumb at his horse. "I'd eat Rudolph here before I'd eat you. I take it you all know by now that we're all infected and that once you die you turn?" He gauged the groups' reaction, relieved when he saw them nod. "I wouldn't risk eating people if there's the possibility that I could get infected. Not exactly a strong argument but we're trying to recruit here, not scare people off. It's your choice to come, if you don't want to then we'll turn and go on our way."

Sully took a step forward. "We don't have anywhere to stay, and you seem genuine enough. I'm in." His opinion was echoed by Mitchell. "I guess if Benji's going I don't have a choice. Beats walking around out here anyway."

Kiff was busy in talks with Em, so Silas' eyes fell on Vince and Becca. They waved Wyatt over as Bennett put Annie down for her to join them. "What do you think?" Vince whispered to the others.

"It could be a trap." Becca thought aloud. "They might want to kill us."

"Don't be stupid, they would have brought more guys and done that already if they wanted to." Wyatt told her. "Unless they want to lure us into a false sense of security."

"Couldn't hurt to see what the place looks like and make our decision once we get a good look at it." Vince offered, crossing his arms.

"Good idea," Becca praised, "That way we can always leave without promising them anything."

"I want to go." Annie said. "It might be like Mister Carver's, they took care of us there."

Vince almost scoffed. "Well... sort of. No one really died even if it was kind of a shitty place. Just don't let them take your weapons in case it does turn out to be a bad deal."

"Are we all agreed, dudes?" Wyatt asked, "If one of us doesn't wanna go, none of us are. We stick together. I'll cast my vote for the 'yes' team."

"I say 'yes', too." Annie said, nodding. Becca and Vince were more sceptical; neither of them wanted to put their group in a bad decision. Becca drew in a long breath and sighed. "Guess if we're in there then we're not in danger out here." She wasn't a hundred per cent confident in her decision but it wouldn't hurt to check the place out before going inside and making their decision. "Only if we do as Vince said; scope the place out."

"I'm with Bec." Vince said. "We keep hold of our supplies and weapons, take a look at the place and if we don't like it, we leave."

The group of four turned to face Silas. "We're in." Vince told the man, "But on our own terms. We'll go with the others to this place but we won't go in blindly. If we don't like what we see, we're turning around and not going in."

"Can't blame you for being unsure." Silas shrugged. "When you see this place you'll change your mind, trust me."

Becca crossed her arms, determined not to let herself be lulled into a false sense of security. She wanted to keep her wits about her.

"What about _you?_" Silas asked, making eye contact with Bennett. "Those other two are still discussing matters, you've just hung back there."

Becca turned to see Bennett gripping one of the straps on his backpack, eyes searching the ground for an answer. His forehead creased as the man paused in thought, and he looked up with a grim expression on his face. "No."

"No?" Silas echoed, waiting for an explanation.

"It's not a trust thing or anything, man, but I'm not going with you." Bennett told him. "I've been fine on my own for a long time now, I'll be fine on my own again. I'm not coming."

Vince's eyebrows raised in shock. "You sure?"

"I appreciate the time I had with your group, Vince, but I'm gonna take off – we don't need to stretch this out considering we only knew each other for a day." Bennett muttered.

"Hey, before you go, take these, they're for a 2002 Toyota somewhere in that direction," Wyatt said, chucking Bennett something. When the tall man opened his arms Becca saw that the keys to their truck were in the man's palms. "Where did you find those?" She asked.

"Fuad had them." Wyatt shrugged innocently.

"Wait, did you loot his body?" Becca asked, concerned. Wyatt shook his head as they walked over to say goodbye to Bennett. "He dropped them when he fell."

Vince reached out and shook their departing friend's hand. "You're a good guy. Hope everything works out for you." Wyatt merely nodded as the man placed his heavy hands on Becca's and Annie's shoulders. "You girls take care of yourselves, now." He told them. "I'd hate to hear that anything bad happens to you. Hope all goes well with the settlement." He stood up and started walking away, only to turn back after a few steps and put his index and middle fingers to his forehead before flicking them away in salute. "See ya, folks. Enjoy the carrots."

"Thanks for the ride." Annie replied, reaching into her pocket and retrieving the crushed form of the carrot the man had given her the day prior. Bennett continued walking, and Becca watched him as he disappeared over the horizon. As soon as he'd appeared, the man had gone.

When she turned back, she saw Emily and Kiff talking to Silas, nodding energetically. It appeared that they would be going to the settlement too. "Looks like we're all decided." Silas told them. "We won't get on our horses because we'll outrun you quite quickly, so if you'll follow us on foot, we'll be there in an hour or so."

"Just so we know," Wyatt said, retrieving his list of communities, "What's this place's name?"

"Where did you find that?" Silas asked, taking the paper from him and studying it with raised eyebrows.

"Back in Indiana, there was an outpost that would direct people to settlements. There was no one there, but I found this list."

"Oh, an outpost?" Silas asked. "We're relatively independent so I doubt you'll see us on there. We came up with a name that tells you everything you need to know – one our leader's quite proud of, actually."

"What is it?" Wyatt pressed.

Silas grinned, uttering the next word with an excited but mysterious tone as he led the three horses and the group down the road. "Sanctum."

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED<strong>

**NEXT TIME ON INTO THE FRAY:**

"It's not far now. You'll really like it there."

* * *

><p>"I still feel bad... for what happened to Fuad. Can't help but feel like it's my fault."<p>

* * *

><p>"Is that truly your master plan?"<p>

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Sanctum."<p> 


	21. EPISODE THREE - NO WAY OUT

**Day 965 – Midday**

**Vince**

The sun beat down on the group, sitting at the apex of the sky as Vince ambled slowly down a wide dirt path. The area was around twenty-five metres wide with brush followed by thick forest lining either side. Travelling directly down the road were two sets of train tracks – from his place at the back of the group, Vince smiled as he observed Annie struggling to walk along one of the rails by placing one foot in front of the other, stretching her arms out to maintain her balance. Every so often she would tip to one side and stumble over only to be caught by Becca who would rush to her aid and then fall back into line, walking parallel to the rail.

The group was led by a man named Silas, who was strolling purposefully at the head of the group with a shotgun hanging loosely in one hand and the reins to a horse in the other as he chatted to Wyatt about their destination, a settlement named Sanctum. Two other mounts were present on either side of the rails, their heads bobbing as they silently trotted behind their masters named Hector and Sonja.

Vince heard voices coming from nearby. He turned his head to look at the source and spotted Sully's group just ahead of him but further to the right side of the road. They had lost two group members recently; Vince presumed their minds were set on the suicide of their bitten friend Fuad, whom they had followed for an entire day, unaware that he was infected. The man had strolled aimlessly with no way out and no escape until he finally decided that killing himself was the only way to avoid turning into a shambling corpse. Vince was not comfortable with the part he had played but could not think of anything else they could have done. Fuad had been infected for too long so amputation was not an option, and once amputation wasn't an option, there were no options left – game over. A man named Bennett had also joined them briefly only to leave when Silas and his group promised him sanctuary, saying he would have preferred to make a go of it on his own.

Sully, who had seemed to fill a joint leader role with Fuad, sounded guilty. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I shouldn't have kicked off. It's my fault no matter how I look at it."

The man's teenage brother, Mitchell, chimed in briefly. "Now you know how I felt when-" Sully cut him off with a wave of his hand and an aggressive stare.

"Don't blame yourself, Sully," the red-headed Emily told him as she tugged one of the straps on her backpack. "We can't do anything about it any more, it's best to just leave it and move on."

"We really are the dirty foursome now." Kiff, Em's uncle, added as he scratched his eyebrow and looked at the ground. He was the oldest member of his group now, and had no one of similar age to relate to now that Fuad was gone. As far as Vince could tell, they had been friends and had no qualms with each other.

The older man's point was quickly laid to rest by Sully who pointed out "There are eight of us, Kiff. Vince, Wyatt, Becca and Annie all count."

"Hmm. Guess so." Kiff murmured. Vince wasn't sure if the crease-faced man believed his own words.

"Let's not dwell on it." Emily told her group. "It's happened before, and it's been worse."

Vince was still intrigued as to what exactly this group had been through. As far as he could tell Sully and Mitchell had been through a rough patch, perhaps lost someone, and Wyatt had informed him that Emily had lost her father – Kiff's twin brother – at some point as well. Aside from that he barely knew anything about them and still couldn't work out why he had not just left them at their gas station days ago. He could have said it was due to the fact that he was a good person, but deep down he knew that he didn't think it to be true.

He was trying.

Vince seethed in pain as he moved his arm. The bullet hole in his shoulder still provided him with immense grief even if it was non-fatal. It had been three days and the pain was showing little sign of subsiding. He closed his eyes and hunched over as he pressed his right hand to his shoulder in a desperate attempt to cradle the injury.

"You okay, son?" Someone asked. Only after hearing the voice did Vince realise that he had groaned quite loudly. Silas had paused in his tracks to see what was up as Wyatt started talking to one of the others from the settlement.

"Son?" The man repeated. "What's the matter?" His brow was creased as his arms hung limply by his sides, the sun reflecting off of his bald head. Vince looked at the man briefly and hid the pain as he straightened himself up with a neutral expression on his face. "I'm fine." he declared. He didn't want to make himself look like an easy target in case Sanctum wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Silas's eyes fell on the frayed hole in Vince's jacket. "How long ago did that happen?" he asked.

"Couple of weeks." Vince lied in an attempt to put himself at more of an advantage. "It's not too bad, just gives me shots of pain every now and then."

"It's not far now," Silas told him, "You can rest if we have to stop for the night. We were only expecting to find two or three people which we could bring back on the horses but we'll take all we can get. We would've got there a lot quicker on horseback."

Vince shook his head. "It's no trouble, we don't need to stop. I just want to check this place out and make my decision then."

"When you see the place I promise you'll see the appeal." Silas told him, resting his shotgun back over his shoulder. "The building we picked was a master stroke – we can thank our leader for that."

"What sort of building?" Vince asked, intrigued. Perhaps knowing would give him some more tangible information on the settlement, but he assumed that Silas would keep quiet about it like he had with everything else.

Silas took a deep breath. "That would spoil the surprise. Why _are _you so skeptical anyway?"

Vince's eyes narrowed as he lifted his left arm to point at Becca and Annie, who were still enjoying themselves on the rails. Silas's eyebrows lifted as he nodded. "Fair enough," he intoned, his head bobbing in approval. "I guess actions do speak louder than words. What about Wyatt, or the other folks?"

Vince stared him down, trying to seem as imposing as possible without threatening the man or making him uneasy. "Them too." he declared.

"Well then, son," Silas huffed, "Hold onto your gun for now, but you won't be needing it once you're within our walls. Sanctum is an impregnable fortress." On that note, he sped up and started talking with Wyatt again.

Vince took a deep breath and picked up the pace, walking over to Annie and Becca. The two didn't acknowledge him immediately as Becca had to grip Annie's hand and pull her to stop her from falling over onto the train tracks, briefly alerting her to the fact that Vince was present. The seven-year-old hopped off of the rail and assumed a normal walking speed as Vince fell in line with them.

"What's up?" Becca asked, turning her head to look at Silas. "Is it him – what did he say?"

Vince shrugged, instantly regretting it as pain shot through his arm. "He said a lot, but he said nothing at the same time, just a load of shit."

"Well, that sucks," Becca grumbled, "So we're still not sure about this place?"

Vince shook his head. "Nah, still not sure." he scratched the back of his head. "Listen, you got a weapon?"

Becca lifted up the back of her jacket, reached into the waistband of her jeans and retrieved a pistol. "Had it ever since the gas station," she bragged, grinning devilishly. "No one even noticed."

"Good," Vince said, "'Cause if this place isn't as hopeful as they say – I mean, it _could _be, but there's a chance it's not – we need to be ready." He displayed his own weapon and they both hid them simultaneously. "I really hope this place is a sure deal but we can't just go along with whatever."

"I know, Vince," Becca murmured, "We wait outside the entrance, we don't go in until we've really made up our minds. That's what you said, right?"

Vince nodded. "Nice job remembering that."

"Vince, you already saved my life once, of _course _I'm gonna listen to what you say." She replied. "Anything goes wrong, I'm sticking with you."

Vince nodded. "We all stick together, no matter what. There's no harm in hoping this place will be good so long as we don't let our guard down." Becca agreed and there was a moment of silence before Annie started climbing onto the rails again, forcing Becca to focus on making sure her friend didn't lose her balance.

As he watched the duo murmuring to each other, he thought about Becca in particular. He probably should have discussed everything with Wyatt before talking to the kids, but that didn't seem right. Becca was now his go-to person whenever he needed to discuss something – when had the transition occurred in which Becca had become the one person he could confide in?


	22. Share Our Pain

**Day 965 – Evening**

**Annie**

After hours of travel, stopping for rest and then moving again, Silas decided that the group needed to find somewhere to stay overnight, fearing that they would not make it to Sanctum before darkness fell. Some of the group complained – namely Vince and Becca, who wanted to see the place, make their decision and get on with it as soon as possible along with Mitchell, who found too much of _anything _to be wholly inconvenient.

Silas kicked in the door of an abandoned house and took the group inside while Vince and the other two from Sanctum, Sonja and Hector, took their horses into the back garden to keep them out of sight should anyone pass by the building and fancy a free mount.

Annie followed Becca indoors, making sure to stay with her group; though she wanted to see what Sanctum was all about, she was not entirely sure what to make of Silas and his group.

As they all piled into the hallway, Emily lifted her pistol and started making her way up the stairs. "I'm gonna go check the place for walkers; make sure the upper level is secure." Kiff followed her without a word, though Annie heard him mention something about being able to sleep in a bed for the first time in ages once he reached the top of the stairs. She found herself becoming slightly excited by the prospect.

Silas took his shotgun from over his shoulder and ducked into the living room, his beady eyes scanning the environment for any sign of the undead. "Looks like we're clear." He announced, his posture relaxing. He left his shotgun to rest against the wall and collapsed onto a one-seated couch as Wyatt, Becca, Annie, Sully and Mitchell stared around the room.

Looking to her right, Annie noticed that Becca's left hand was shaking and that she was taking deeper breaths than normal. Not knowing or understanding what was going on, Annie decided in her seven-year-old mind that Becca was probably cranky or tired and nudged her over to a sofa that was perpendicular to Silas' chair. Becca slowly found her way over to the couch, but as Annie sat down next to her she noticed that her actions hadn't changed.

Just before she could ask what the problem was, Silas spoke up as the others found seats in the room. "So," he boomed, "Where are you folks from?"

"Vince, Becca and I are from Georgia, Annie's from Tennessee." Wyatt told him.

"I wouldn't have guessed; you don't have the accent." Silas replied, directing his next question at Sully and Mitchell. "And you fellas; where are you from?"

"West Virginia." Sully informed him. "Kiff's from Scotland; moved here with his brother – Em's dad. Em was born in the same state as us."

Mitchell huffed. "What's it to you, anyway?"

Silas's face twisted into a comical frown as he shrugged. "Nothin' much, just interested; just wanted to get to know you folks."

"Then why would the places we were born matter? There's nothing there any more, they don't matter. Next you'll be asking how old we are, so I'll save you the inconvenience. I'm seventeen, my brother's twenty-four." Mitchell folded his arms in a dignified manner.

"Dude, what the fuck is _up _with you?" Wyatt questioned calmly. "Seriously, you're kind of a dick."

Before Mitchell could summon a rant to reply with, Sully interjected. "You don't want to know what's up with him – the list is too long."

"Fuck you, _Benji." _Mitchell grunted. "Fuck all of this. I don't even want to go to this place."

"Please, just... shut up." Becca groaned. Annie looked at her and saw that the older girl was running her hands through her brunette hair, her eyes were crushed shut and her face was red.

Mitchell rubbed his eyes with a forefinger and thumb. "Well _excuse me _for wondering why this guy's asking such weird questions. I just wanna know why he's asking what he's asking. Jesus Christ, maybe just stop sitting there doing nothing and actually think about something for once-"

Becca climbed to her feet and left the room briskly, her head in her hands. "**Mitchell!**" Sully growled, "That's fucking enough!"

Mitchell's face dropped, turning from a scowl into something more concerned. "What did I do? Seriously, can she not take a bit of criticism or what?"

"Mitchell, for crying out loud, if you say anything for the next five minutes I'm gonna punch you in the face harder than I did to Fuad." Sully took a deep sigh. "This is what happens when Em isn't around."

"Em, is she your leader?" Silas asked. "The red-head, right?"

"Nope," Sully replied, "our leader's dead." Annie felt the bottom of her shoes connect with the carpet as she got to her feet, aiming to see where Becca had gone – her sudden mood had come on quite quickly; before they'd entered the building she had been perfectly fine.

"Hey, dude, where're you goin'?" Wyatt asked, crouching and resting a hand on her shoulder as she turned to leave the room.

"Becca's sad." Annie informed him. "I want to help her."

Wyatt looked torn. "I've gotta keep these guys from killing each other and Vince is outside..." he paused, "Okay, you go find Becca but stay with her and try not to say anything that'll make her feel worse." He patted her on the back and she nodded, turning to hop out of the room.

As she closed the door behind her she heard a wavering breath coming from the room across the hall. She opened the door and looked around; apparently this room was some form of study. Becca was nowhere to be seen, but it was worth checking anyway.

She walked further into the room, only to realise that the door had blocked Becca from her vision. The seven-year-old glanced over at the teenager as she sat on the floor, her elbows resting on her knees which were pulled into her chest. She sat running her one and a half hands through her hair, red faced as she breathed stiltedly.

"Becca, are you okay?" Annie asked, walking slowly towards the teenager, holding out one of her hands. No response.

"Becca, I want to help." Annie pleaded. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong." Still no response.

Annie paused in thought and decided to try a different tack. She turned, pressing her back against the wall and slid down, falling into a seating position right next to Becca, their shoulders pressed into each other. Becca didn't say anything but she withdrew her hands from her hair and turned to look at her.

"Becca, please." Annie said desperately, "If something's wrong you can let me know, because we're friends. You said so on that day where you saved my life from that bad man."

"Annie..." Becca sighed. "I can't."

"Why not? Is it secret?" Annie replied, not quite understanding what was wrong. "We can always share secrets, you know." She shivered as she felt her left hand moving towards her right sleeve. "I can swap a secret if you want." Wincing as she pulled up her sleeve, Annie exposed several small, circular burns on her arm – the ones her father had given her. The only other person who knew about it was Wyatt and she hadn't wanted to tell him.

Becca's eyes widened. "Annie... who... who did that to you?"

Annie felt her face drop as she tried to hold back tears, regretting telling someone about the scars, even if it was Becca. "My... my dad." She stammered. "Don't worry, he's dead now. He got ate." Annie shuddered as she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. "Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Becca said in a steely voice as she put her left arm over Annie's shoulders. Annie tried to swallow the sadness, suck it up, but she couldn't. She tilted her head to the right so that it rested on Becca's shoulder and felt comfort as she sensed Becca's cheek leaning on her hatted crown. "I told you my secret, now you tell me yours." Annie stuttered, "Why are you so sad?"

Becca took a deep breath and gulped. "It's the house. This house – out in the middle of nowhere. Reminds me of a place I never want to be reminded of."

Annie struggled to figure out what she meant. "What place?"

"I don't want to say his name... but y'know when we left Howe's and found that house with the guy who was really welcoming... then he turned out to be a freak and killed my sister? Yeah, this place reminds me of _that _guy. _His _house. How a couple of hundred metres from it he killed Shel and almost... got me."

"Oh." Annie mumbled. "_Him." _She had seen Marshall's and Shel's corpses the night after they had died. Wyatt had told her to keep back but she saw them while they continued down the road, scouring the area for Becca. She recalled how Shel had been shot through the chest and how Marshall's brain had been spilled all over the asphalt.

"I miss her so much. I just... I just want my sister back." Becca choked, wiping one of her eyes with her bandaged hand.

"I wish she was back too. I wish they all were." Annie muttered. "But we won't lose each other. We won't."

Annie felt a warm, comforting sensation as Becca squeezed her shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Annie." Becca told her. "I don't think I'd be able cope without you."


	23. A Guilt Trip

**Day 965 - Night**

**Becca**

Becca and Annie spent a while seeking out a room that reminded them the least of the house that belonged to Shel's killer. Emily had noticed their sorrowful mood and had told them to choose any room they wanted without question, saying that she'd let the others know. Becca appreciated the gesture – she and Emily didn't exactly get on but the adult could understand when something was wrong and when to let them have their space.

They walked into a room and Becca sighed with relief when it didn't remind her of anything she didn't want to remember. Emily and Kiff had checked all the rooms and had not found any walkers, so she and Annie didn't have to worry about the dead crawling out from under the bed in the middle of the night.

From what Becca could make out in the dark, the room had light blue walls and white furniture, a double bed pressed up against the wall to their right with a window straight ahead that looked out onto the garden - where the horses were tied up. To her left was a desk with a single chair and a mirror in front of it.

Luckily for them, Emily had managed to find some candles and had lit one in every room to save people the trouble, though she made sure to keep them out of reach of anything flammable. The candle in this bedroom was sitting on the desk next to the mirror, which Becca sat down in front of.

It had been a long time since she had seen her own reflection; for the past few months she had only caught glimpses in the windows of the truck as she had climbed inside, but never anything as full on as a mirror. As she stared at her own face she raised her left hand and lightly touched the scar that ran across her left cheek – she had procured it as she and her sister had tried to escape the madman in the woods four months ago. She had been hit in the face by a branch which had slit the skin on her cheekbone open. Who knew that a twig could do so much damage?

Becca wiped her eyes, brushed her hair off of her face and got back to her feet, offering a glance towards Annie, who was lingering by the door. She walked over to the window and looked out, seeing that the three horses were loitering in the back yard, barely visible in the darkness as the grunted at each other and huffed noisily. Hopefully no walkers would be drawn by the noise and kill them.

She turned and looked at the bed, realising she'd actually be sleeping in a bed that night, and maybe for a long time after that if Sanctum turned out to be a nice place. She almost dropped into a lying position straight away before realising that her dirt from her boots and the stains on her jacket would get the bed dirty. She sat down on the bed and drew her right knee into her chest, grabbed the laces on her brown shoe and pulled them outwards before placing her hand around the back of the boot to wrench it off. As it slipped off of her heel, Becca felt an oddly relieved sensation passing through her body before doing the same with her left foot. Once that was done she unbuttoned her varsity jacket, exposing her black t-shirt beneath, and draped it over the chair that faced the mirror before blowing out the candle on the desk.

Finally she leaned back and collapsed onto the sheets, not climbing beneath them – at last, she could rest easy, even if it was for only one night. She put her hands on the pillow behind her head and stared at the ceiling, taking a deep breath before letting it escape her lungs. Annie dropped onto the other side of the bed without taking her jacket off.

"You sure you don't wanna take that off?" Becca asked, as Annie turned onto her side with her back to Becca.

"I can't because people would be able to see my arms." Annie told her.

Becca's forehead creased. "Oh. Okay." She paused in thought and then spoke again. "You sure you don't have a long-sleeved shirt anywhere?"

"No."

"Well... I'll have to get you one." Becca turned onto her side so that she faced the window and her back was to Annie, listening as she heard muffled conversations moving up the stairs. She could hear Vince and Wyatt speaking with Sully which she found comforting as their voices resonated through the first floor of the building. It seemed like Silas and his people were sticking to the downstairs rooms. Maybe Vince had persuaded them to do so – he was like that; he protected the group, held them together.

Becca lay on her side for a while, resting her head in her right hand as her mind slowed down in preparation for sleep - her eyelids felt heavy and her body ached after days of walking with no reprieve. Becca smiled to herself as she heard Annie snoring softly beside her. Hearing a noise always helped her get to sleep and Annie had recently been the one who provided that noise without knowing. Her slow, rhythmic breaths provided Becca with something to concentrate on and then later lose focus as she drifted off to sleep.

Becca groaned as someone knocked on the door three times, bringing her out of her sleep-inducing trance. She sat up and turned to face the window, planting her socks on the floor as she walked around the bed and headed towards the door, trying to be quiet so as not to wake Annie up.

She reached the doorknob and twisted, pulling the door towards her cautiously to see who was on the other side.

She prayed it wasn't Silas.

She prayed it was Vince.

Becca barely stifled a groan when she saw Mitchell's face on the other side of the door. "What do you want?" She inquired tonelessly.

"Uh... my, uh, my brother sent me." Mitchell rubbed the back of his head and looked over his shoulder to another room across the hall. "He says I have to talk to you."

Becca breathed deeply, blatantly telling him how inconvenienced she felt. "Do you want to do this outside?" She grunted, "Annie's _trying _to sleep."

Mitchell raised his hands and backed off. "Fine, fine." He said, surrendering to her will. Becca rolled her eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to see in the darkness and followed the older teen onto the landing, slowly closing the door behind her. When she looked back, Mitchell was sitting at the top of the staircase.

"I've just gotta say... I'm, uh, I'm sorry, Becca." Mitchell grunted, straining to force the words out. "I was a dick back there and I'm sorry."

Becca crossed her arms and tilted her head back carelessly. She didn't like Mitchell – he would argue and curse and attack people verbally. She wasn't interested in his apologies.

"I crossed the line. I fucked up." Mitchell told her. "Truth is, I'm just a... fucking _terrible _person."

Becca let loose another huff of irritation as she replied. "I guessed."

Mitchell emitted a hollow laugh. "You don't even know the half of it. I've done worse things than call people names. I've done things to make people hate me. Fuad hated me, Emily and Kiff hate me. Fuck, even my own _brother _hates me and it doesn't help that they're right to after what I did."

Lowering her eyebrows and furrowing her brow, Becca couldn't help but find herself interested. "What did you do?" She quizzed, before casting her mind back a few days. "Was it to do with what you said when we spoke on the roof - "I could have saved her"?"

When he continued talking, there was a hint of tension in Mitchell's voice. "Our group used to be bigger. I did something dumb, bad things happened. Everyone hates me now because I'm a stupid fucking idiot. Truth is, Becca, I wish _I _was dead instead of who I got killed. God knows I deserve it."

Though she didn't exactly like Mitchell, Becca felt the requirement to raise his spirit. "You don't deserve it," she said. "The only people who deserve to die are people who... chase you through the forest and try to murder you, or knock you unconscious only to wake you up for torture-time. Whatever you did, it was probably an accident, it wasn't planned. So don't blame yourself."

"Thanks for the speech," Mitchell sighed, "but I know what I did. I know what I deserve. I don't even know why I ran away from those walkers in that forest when we looked for Vince and Fuad; I should've just let them have me and made it look like an accident."

"You stayed alive for Sully," Becca informed him. "You should have seen how he acted when you ran off – you were all that was on his mind. I don't think that's how someone who hated you would act."

Mitchell didn't sound convinced. "Hmm, maybe. I don't know." He climbed to his feet and started walking towards one of the bedrooms. "Well, I said what I came here for. Sorry for being a dick, sorry for being a waste of space and sorry for waking you up." Opening his bedroom door, Mitchell disappeared behind the wooden partition and Becca was left alone.

Sighing to herself, she walked back to her own room and walked inside, carefully closing the door behind her. She crept around the side of the bed and resumed her sleeping position next to Annie, pleased to find that the girl was still sleeping.

She had only really thought that Mitchell was a bully – that's all she'd seen of him. Though she still didn't like him, she knew he had probably ended up getting someone killed and he still blamed himself for the death even after a long time. Maybe he was not a bully; maybe he just had to relieve his pain by bringing people down to his own level. Then again, that was sort of the definition of bully; Becca kind of knew from experience.

Resting her head on her right hand, she tuned back in to Annie's rhythmic breathing and spent a while blinking slowly and heavily as she started to fall asleep.


	24. Playing It Safe

**Day 966 - Morning**

**Wyatt**

The group set off in the morning, Silas promising that they would reach Sanctum after an additional hour or so of walking. After a decent night's sleep, Wyatt was eager to see what the place was like.

He did not feel as skeptical as Becca or Vince, though he was not exactly as convinced as Sully, Kiff or Emily were. He would listen to what Vince had to say and he would not let his guard down until he was certain that Sanctum was safe – not only for himself, but for Annie too.

Wyatt had spent a lot of time speaking to the woman from Sanctum named Sonja. Though they had conversed for a long time Wyatt had not really been able to pump any information from her – all the people of Sanctum were secretive, most of all the man with the beard named Hector; he had not said a single word since they had met the day before.

All that he had learned was that Sanctum had numerous guards and that Silas, Sonja and Hector attempted to recruit new members for the camp. They had succeeded a few times but most people were 'understandably unsure' and had neglected their offer. None of Wyatt's group had rejected considering they had nowhere else to go and most of them were sick of hiding in one place a day – all except for Bennett, who had left claiming that he had survived well enough on his own and wanted to keep it that way.

None of the Sanctum members he had met had made a good impression on him; Silas was boisterous and ever-so-slightly condescending, Sonja was sharp-tongued and distant and Hector was too quiet and often gave people unsure looks, looking away when they noticed him. Carver's camp had not been that much different; everyone had been in it for their own survival and they had to learn to work with each other even if they didn't get along.

Wyatt made sure he still had his pistol and was comforted as he gripped it tightly. If anything happened he'd be able to defend himself.

"Should be just a mile away now," Silas called from the head of the group. "I'd say it'll take twenty minutes to half an hour, so I'd suggest you folks all start putting some serious consideration towards whether or not you want to walk through the gates. The place itself might be a bit... imposing, but you need to keep an open mind."

"_As if I wasn't already heavily considering it," _Wyatt pondered, _"and an 'open mind'? What is this place, exactly?"_

He looked over at Vince who was a few steps behind and shrugged at him, searching for support. Vince held eye contact for a second and flashed his pistol at Wyatt to make sure he knew he was armed before locking his eyes firmly on Silas. Wyatt turned to carry on looking ahead and tightened his grip on his own gun.

Being cautious couldn't hurt. Preparing for the worst in this god-forsaken world was probably a good idea, especially looking back on his history of being chased by madmen in trucks.

Wyatt turned and looked for Annie, spotting her walking next to Becca at the back of the group. The duo were chatting enthusiastically, so Wyatt didn't interrupt. He decided to keep looking back so that he could hop in when they finished talking to make sure that Annie stuck by his side for the remainder of their journey. Vince would probably do the same with Becca, while Sully and Mitchell and Kiff and Emily came naturally as sets of two; everyone had someone to look after or look out for.

He looked back over his shoulder and saw that Annie and Becca had just rounded off a conversation. Seizing his chance, Wyatt slowed to a halt and waited for the two girls to catch up to him. Becca smiled and lifted a hand in greeting as Annie stared into his eyes, knowing he wanted a word.

"How are you doing, dude?" He asked.

Annie held eye contact for a moment and then averted her gaze. "I'm fine." she told him. "Is something wrong?"

"We're not far from this place now, kiddo," Wyatt informed her, "from now on you need to stick with me until we're _sure _this place is safe." He paused and then held his hand out for her to take. "Whatever you do, don't let go - and Bec, you should probably stick to Vince like glue."

Becca gave him an awkward look. "Okay," she said, "But I'm not holding his _hand_. That's just... _weird_."

Wyatt chuckled to himself. "You know what I mean."

Annie took his hand and he led her back to where Vince was walking, Becca not far behind. Once they were all together Wyatt reached into the waistband of his jeans and retrieved his pistol once again, Becca and Vince echoing his movements. Silas looked back and saw them, his eyes widening for a split second before he regained his usual smile. "Not looking to cause trouble, I hope?" he asked.

"We're being cautious." Vince stated. "Just in case your paradise isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"So you've said before. You four are exceptionally paranoid."

Becca's eyes thinned as she squinted at the man. "We have our reasons."

"I guess I wouldn't understand. After all, I sit in a fortress all day, don't I? We're not bad people, we try to help no matter what the stakes are. You'll all do fine so long as you cooperate; I've told you this before." Silas told them. "_But... _if you truly want to hold us hostage as you walk through the gates then you can."

"We don't plan on walking in until we know what we're dealing with, dude." Wyatt muttered.

"What about the other four? Do they not matter?"

"They're recent additions." Vince stated. "They're free to make their own decisions and be on their way."

For the first time in a while Sonja, another member of Sanctum, spoke up. "What can we do to make you trust us?" She asked.

"Sonja," Silas interrupted in a warm tone, raising a hand to silence her. "We can let them have what they want. They can decide at the gate and we'll take it from there. Honestly _we _don't know if they're just average bandits who put more thought into what they do than usual. The children could be decoys to lull us into a false sense of security - they might shoot everyone in Sanctum straight after they get through the gate, but it's a risk we'll have to take to keep our home running." He looked over his shoulder at Vince. "We don't have enough manpower to run everything; you could count us all on two hands. _That's _why we need more people."

"We know what we're doing." Vince grimaced. "Our plan still stands."

"I didn't say anything to suggest otherwise." Silas replied. "We're not that far away now – Sonja, do you want to ride ahead and tell them we're on our way?"

Vince halted them before Sonja could try to mount her horse. "Stop!" He demanded, "You could be running ahead to plan an assault. We all stay together until we reach the place."

"Logical," Silas muttered. "Okay, no one rides ahead – not that we could plan an assault in the time it took for us to walk a few hundred metres. Should be coming up on the horizon at any moment now."

Wyatt watched as he rested his right hand on the grip of his pistol. Though the immediate area was surrounded by trees something peeked out at the end of the road – a building. Big, grey, grim and fortified was a poor view of what he guessed was the settlement. The foliage cut off the sight but he could barely make out large walls, which would probably help with keeping the walkers out.

"An ideal building for this sort of end-of-world scenario, folks," Silas told them, "Keep an open mind – the place doesn't exactly have a bright and wondrous history, but, well, it's home now."

They were finally going to reach their destination. Wyatt heard gasps and looked back to see Sully and Emily gushing at the building even though they could barely see it yet.

"This was here the whole time..." Sully gasped. "Oh, fuck. We should've found this place earlier, guys."

"Glad you like what you see." Silas grinned and spread his arms out, spinning on the spot as the building came into full view. "Welcome to Sanctum!"


	25. The Gate Opens

**Day 966 - Morning**

**Vince**

Vince felt a mixture of awe, paranoia and fear settle in the bottom of his stomach as Sanctum reared its head in front of him. The settlement was comprised of four great towers that were connected via smaller buildings, boxed in by tall, concrete walls with barbed wire at the top. The gates had originally been wrought iron as far as he could tell, but they had been boarded up so as not to provide an easy access point.

"What the fuck _is _this place?" Mitchell asked, breaking the silence. Fear and concern were visible on his face. "Is this a fucking _prison?"_

Vince had been expecting something like Carver's camp; something simple that had been converted into a fortress – this place had _always_ been a fortress. Silas looked a bit unnerved before he spoke. "I'm not gonna tell you what this place _was _because that might affect your decision. Once you come in you can speak to our leader and learn all the details. Now, come along; the time to decide has almost come."

The man turned and started walking towards the large gates with Sonja and Hector following him closely as they led the horses down the path. Vince shared a quick, concerned glance with Becca and they all started creeping towards Sanctum cautiously.

Once they were all at the gates Silas waited for them, before banging against the wood that reinforced the opening. As the man knocked, Vince noticed an indent in the wood slide back to reveal a pair of eyes. They scowled at the crowd directly in front of them and then widened when they saw Silas and the others from Sanctum.

"You're back early, pal." The stranger said. It was a man, Vince could tell that much.

Silas chuckled. "I brought some folks who might want to settle here, but they're a bit skeptical, as you can see." He gestured to Vince, showing his ally that he was armed.

"Hmm." The guard said, "What do you want us to do about it? They don't, like... have a gun pressed to your back or anything, right?"

"Not at all. They're understandably cautious. Open the gates but tell the others to back up and leave the newcomers alone. They need to be in power otherwise they'll never come in."

The guard huffed, inconvenienced by the plan. "Fair enough. Hector and Sonja can take the horses back, you take these folks up in." He reached in and fiddled with an object that prompted the gate to swing open.

Even though they had already seen the main buildings, everyone still gaped at the sight in front of them. The large grey buildings were surrounded on all four sides by tall, yellowing grass that stretched for about twenty five metres in each direction, further reinforcing Sanctum's appearance of a castle.

"Jesus, man." Sully gasped. "This is... incredible."

"So," Silas said, "Now's the time to make that choice – you folks in?"

Vince looked nervously at Wyatt, Becca and Annie for support, though they had more than enough time to make their choice as Emily and Kiff tentatively walked forwards, holding their guns out. It seemed as if they were similarly skeptical of the place but not so much that they had to hesitate. Once they made it to the other side of the gate the guard on the inside waved them over and started pointing things out to them.

Hector and Sonja were the next to enter, though that came as no surprise considering Sanctum was where they lived. The duo hopped on top of their horses and led Silas's mount down the path. Vince assumed that they had stables somewhere.

Silas turned to the remainder and raised his eyebrows to tempt them over. In contrasting states of anticipation and disregard came Sully and Mitchell, the former of whom was exited to enter, while the latter didn't seem all that happy about it.

Once he passed the threshold Sully turned to Vince's group. "Come on, guys," he said, "think about it, you won't have to worry about the dead any more."

Vince was still worried. "If I make the wrong call, it's my fault." he murmured.

Wyatt shook his head. "We all decide together. We'll check the place out and see where it goes, and we don't let them take our guns off of us."

"We don't plan on it." Silas said. "It's too much of a risk to start a fire fight this close to our people."

"So, dudes," Wyatt asked, "Where do we stand? Who wants to go in?"

Annie raised her hand first. "I think we should. The others already have and we're safer if there's more of us. I don't want to be around the walkers any more."

"Okay," Wyatt told her, then looked at Vince, "If she wants to go, then I'm gonna have to cast my vote the same way. I'm still not a hundred per cent on this place, but if there's a chance Annie's safer in there I have to take it."

"We stick together when we go in," Becca commanded, "we don't split up, we stay armed. That's the only way this is going until I trust these people. Vince?"

Vince was torn. He was still paranoid about the implications of being 'trapped' in Sanctum, but Wyatt told him that if they all went in together it would be their joint responsibility. If something were to happen it wouldn't be Vince's fault.

The other three had all suggested going inside and Vince had to do what was best for them, so he let them have what they wanted. "All right," he said, "We're going in."

Silas smiled and waved them in, bringing up the rear as he did so. The man who had been monitoring the gate had bright, yellowish eyes and black hair, along with a creased forehead and a moustache. He nodded to them briefly as he walked back towards the entrance.

Vince kept hold of his gun and felt worried as the gate clanged shut behind them. He, Becca, Wyatt and Annie paused for a moment as they watched Emily, Kiff, Sully and Mitchell walking down the path, half-expecting a mass of guards to jump out of the bushes and force them to surrender, but no such thing occurred.

"I'll get someone to switch shifts in an hour or so, okay, Curt?" Silas called to the guard. In response the man merely nodded and shimmied towards a ladder that reached the top of the wall so that he could see if anything was coming their way.

"Just so you folks know, I'm not sure how busy our leader is at the moment. It might take a while before you have your induction meeting so I'll show you around a little bit before that."

"Induction meeting?" Vince questioned. "What's that?"

Silas chuckled. "Nothing complicated – we just need to get your details and profile you a bit so we know if you'll fit in here. It's practically a questionnaire so don't worry about it."

The group walked up to one of the four towers of Sanctum and Silas rapped his knuckles on another series of doors. Vince admired the scale of the buildings during the wait for someone to answer Silas's call, staring at the mossy grey bricks that built the fortress.

They heard footsteps, then bolts sliding back before someone answered the door. A hispanic woman wearing a hooded jacket opened the door and smiled when she saw Silas, opening the door and standing back as the group all piled in. The people here were a lot more welcoming than Vince would have thought.

"So," Wyatt mused, "Apparently knowing what this place used to be would have affected our decision."

Vince looked around. The floors were a great white mass, as were the walls and ceiling. The room was doused in a bluish light that made it all look very sterile and hygienic but cold and manifest. "Looks like a hospital from the inside," Vince remarked, "but a _prison _from the outside."

"Yeah, that's about right." Silas said. "This place was out of use for decades before it was refurbished to be less... archaic and could be used again. As it turns out the best place to hide from the end of the world is an insane asylum."


	26. The Creaking Door

**Day 966 – Late Morning**

**Wyatt**

"Makes sense that this is a mental hospital considering everyone that's still alive is fucking insane." Mitchell grunted.

"What... happened to all of the people?" Em asked. "Are they all okay or did something happen?"

Silas shook his head. "It seemed like most of the doctors and orderlies here just ditched the place and left the people in here to rot. Some were still around by the time we found the place but a lot had broken out. About two months ago this woman somehow managed to get past all of the security and ran for miles. Took Curtis and Sonja ages to catch up and bring her back to safety. Keeping them here is for the greater good because they're not in danger. You won't run into them, though. They have a separate part of the community because some of them don't get along with strangers."

"You talk about them as if they're zoo animals." Em grimaced. "They're still people, y'know."

"Hey, we're just trying to keep them safe, like we are with you." Silas grumbled. "Only a few doctors stuck around, so if Vince ever needs tending to his arm he just needs to give them a shout. I expect they'll be interested to know people can survive bites, too." He looked at Becca out of the corner of his eye. "Anyway, shall I give you a tour?"

Silas led them down an adjoining corridor. As they followed along Wyatt saw around four or five more strangers in white jackets – doctors of some sort – and felt his grip tighten around Annie's hand, sweat holding them together like glue. One man was holding a clipboard, writing things down. Silas interrupted him and briefly asked him something, but the man shook his head and muttered before handing him something and pointing down the hall. Silas looked over his shoulder at the group before turning and leading them further down the hallway.

"I thought you said you could count the people here on two hands?" Sully asked. "There's more of you than that."

Silas grunted. "Uh-huh, but the doctors are harmless. None of them can really look after themselves so they don't really count. Anyway, just down here is a place you can sleep." He turned and continued speaking before anyone could interrupt. "Before you say anything, the room is empty aside from beds; no one else lives in there at the moment and I'll give you the key if it makes you more comfortable." He leaned over and jammed something into the lock – Wyatt guessed it the doctor had given him a key – and opened a set of wooden double doors.

The group piled into the room and looked around as Sully handed Vince the key and left. As the place only had power to the most crucial areas, the room appeared bleak, the only light shining in through windows that looked out onto the courtyard between the four towers of Sanctum. In the hall itself were around ten sets of bunk beds, but not much else.

"Guess we should all pick a bed." Kiff muttered, wandering over to and collapsing on top of the first bottom bunk on the right. "Not as comfortable as the beds we slept on last night but it's good enough."

"Speak for yourself," Sully grunted, "I had to sleep on the floor." He darted out in front of his brother, towards the bed next to Kiff's. "I call top bunk!"

Mitchell rolled his eyes and shrugged, taking the bunk beneath his brother as Emily climbed to the bunk above Kiff. Once Sully's group were all settled, Wyatt wandered over to the second bed on the left which was parallel to Mitchell and Sully's and helped Annie onto the top bunk before climbing onto the bottom one. Vince and Becca took the bottom and top bunks of the first bed on the left respectively.

"You guys know it's still morning, right?" Becca questioned.

Wyatt hummed in acknowledgement. "No harm in getting some more sleep. Probably best if someone stays awake and keeps an eye out in case Silas comes back."

"They seem pretty legitimate so far," Em replied. "But yeah, I guess we shouldn't put our guard down just yet."

"We still have our guns." Kiff reminded them. "They're giving us an awful lot of freedom." Wyatt heard a rough scraping noise as the red headed man scratched his bearded chin. "I don't know about you folks, but I'm not looking forward to doing chores."

Wyatt sighed. Securing the perimeter and doing guard duty had not been that bad back at Carver's, so he wasn't too worried about that. There was the possibility that they could be put to work counting supplies and sorting out food, neither of which were problems, either. None of it really concerned him.

"Fuck chores, man." Mitchell grunted. "We just got here."

Sully replied half-heartedly. "Shut up," he remarked. "Now we're alone, what do you guys make of the people here?"

"They seem pretty welcoming. That guy on the gate was nice." Emily told him, rolling onto her side on her bunk so she could face Sully. "I don't think we'd ever want to get on their bad side, though."

"We'll just have to do as we're told for the time being, then." Sully agreed. "I wonder what Bennett would've made of this place if he'd agreed to come. Or Fuad, for that matter."

"I doubt we'll ever know, dude," Wyatt replied, scratching his brow. "No use living in the past; we've gotta look forward and see where this place takes us."

Sully hummed to himself. "I guess so. Anyway, we should probably get some more rest – who's up for staying awake to make sure nothing happens?"

"I'll do it." Vince grumbled.

Kiff cleared his throat. "I'll stay up, too – just in case Vince needs backup or something."

Wyatt leaned back on his pillow and looked at the bottom of Annie's mattress, which was supported by wooden slats. He took off his glasses, put them on the windowsill between his bed and Vince's and turned onto his side, closing his eyes in an attempt to get some rest.

–

**Day 966 – Midday**

**Wyatt**

"Wyatt. Wyatt! Wake up."

Wyatt jolted, his head shaking as he shot up, awake. Vince stood over him with a slightly concerned look on his face. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No," Vince replied, "We've just been called up. Silas wants to speak to us out front. _All _of us."

Wyatt reached for his glasses and pushed them onto his nose as he turned and put his feet on the floor. Annie had already climbed down from the top bunk and was waiting with the rest, putting her hat back on her head, making sure to twist it backwards.

He could not see anyone from Sanctum which left him to believe they had already made their way to their destination. Once everyone was up and ready Vince opened the door to the corridor and led them to the reception. Wyatt noticed that all the doctors had gone – perhaps to another area of the settlement.

Vince opened the door and the group followed him down the steps, onto the gravel path that led towards Sanctum's front gate. About ten metres away, Silas, Hector and Sonja stood with a few more guards in a line waiting for them. The air was ripe with tension, which worried Wyatt as the group stopped walking in front of the members of Sanctum.

"Okay," Silas huffed, "The time has come for you folks to prove your worth. You're all gonna have an induction meeting – we'll stagger those throughout tomorrow. If you pass you'll be assigned a post, but for today you'll all be doing odd jobs in groups of two, along with one of our men." He raised his clipboard. "We've assigned you groups depending on family ties for now, but your permanent jobs will be applied based on capability, so without further ado..."

He looked at one of the guards next to him – the woman with the hood they'd seen earlier. "The two redheads will be working with Scarlet here in the armory. You'll be taking stock of the weapons we own and things like that." The hooded woman walked over to Em and Kiff, gesturing for them to follow her. Still aware that they were armed, the duo went willingly.

"The two brothers will be working with Curtis," Silas gestured to Sully and Mitchell, then pointed towards the man who had been guarding the gate. "You'll be watching the surrounding area for walkers or survivors."

"Perfect!" Mitchell celebrated with legitimate enthusiasm. He reached into his backpack and retrieved some binoculars. "I always used to do this back at our old place. It's what I was built for, man."

"Nice." Curtis grinned. "Come on, guys." He waved them over and they followed him in the opposite direction that Em and Kiff had gone. Sully, however, did not seem happy. For once, the roles of the brothers were reversed.

"And finally, Vince and Wyatt will be securing the perimeter with Sonja, while the two girls will tend to the horses with Hector." Silas finished. "I'm going to talk to our leader."

"Woah, woah, woah, dude," Wyatt interrupted. "We decided that I stick with Annie and Vince sticks with Becca."

Vince nodded in agreement. "The way you're putting things – it's not happening, man. Becca and I will secure the perimeter, Wyatt goes with Annie."

Silas shrugged, barely looking over his shoulder. "We only put it that way because we wanted to keep the kids out of harm's way, but if Becca's up to tending to the fence then you can have it your way."

"I'm not a _kid_," Becca growled, "I can do it."

"Well, you'd better get a move on." Silas ordered, "We've all got work to do."

Wyatt was slightly taken back by how easy it had been to switch the jobs around – then again these jobs were apparently only temporary and their permanent jobs would be organised based on skill. He watched as Sonja led Vince and Becca towards the walls, and then turned to face Hector. The man did not speak – as usual – but raised his eyebrows and folded his arms as he waited for them to come to him.

"All right, dude," Wyatt told Annie. "Do what the man says, or... doesn't... say. Let's get to work."


	27. Put To Work

**Day 966 – Afternoon**

**Annie**

Hector led Annie and Wyatt along the side of the two front towers of Sanctum, walking in silence. Ever since they had met the morning prior, the man had not said a single word, though his body language said more than enough. He often avoided eye contact and stood behind Silas and Sonja, or tended to his horse which made Annie think he didn't like talking to people. That was if he actually had the ability to talk.

Soon enough they rounded one of the towers and a series of makeshift stables came into view. The three horses Sonja, Silas and Hector had ridden on were present along with two Annie didn't recognise. Though there were only five horses, there was room for more.

"So, dude," Wyatt asked, "What are we supposed to _do?"_

Hector didn't immediately answer. As Annie and Wyatt waited the man turned and strode across the makeshift path towards a pile of hay at the end and grabbed a block of the stuff. He looked at Wyatt briefly, then put the hay into one of the stables for the horse inside to eat. He looked at Wyatt again, then pointed at the hay with his thumb before pointing at the horses.

"Oh, that's all?" Wyatt questioned, only for Hector to nod in response. "I guess that's why Becca was going to be doing this."

Annie watched briefly as Wyatt started walking up to the hay and grabbed some, before passing it into another stable. Hector watched briefly, then disappeared past the mound of blocks.

"Where's he going?" Wyatt pondered. Annie gripped one of the blocks with all her might and dragged it down the path, straining and groaning as she did so. Once she reached one of the horses that had not been fed, she tried to lift the hay only to find that her seven-year-old arms were not strong enough. Wyatt rushed to her aid and passed the block over to the horse, which turned to the block and stared at it with its dark eyes.

Annie was annoyed that she was not strong enough to lift the block and that she had to rely on Wyatt. If she was split up from him during her permanent post no one would be there to help her, so she had to figure out a way of feeding the horses on her own.

An idea surfaced in her mind. She ran purposefully to one of the blocks of hay, grabbing it with both hands. She squinted and gritted her teeth as she pulled it towards one of the horses, halting Wyatt as he strode over to help. Instead of trying to lift the hay she put a foot on top of it, hoping it was compressed enough to hold her weight. It buckled slightly as she stood up, but didn't collapse entirely.

"Hello, horsey." She beamed, patting the head of the horse inside. Reaching into the pocket of her jacket she retrieved the carrot Bennett had given her a few days ago. It didn't exactly look edible, but she guessed it would be fine for an animal to consume. She handed the carrot to the horse, which huffed and chomped on the vegetable.

Annie's smile stretched from one side of her face to the other has she shook in excitement. Hector walked back with a bucket in hand and raised an eyebrow when he saw Annie celebrating the fact that she'd fed a carrot to a horse. In his mind it was likely no real achievement but Annie had solved a puzzle and made herself useful. Wyatt patted her on the back, then gripped her under the armpits and lifted her off of the hay bale which he passed into the stable.

As Wyatt gave the last horse some food Hector pressed the edge of his bucket to the side of a pipe and poured water down it. Annie watched and heard water running through pipes. She grabbed hold of one of the doors and jumped upwards, trying to see over it. In brief flashes she caught sight of a pipe running across the back of the stables, water pouring out of holes in the bottom into metal troughs. Apparently there was an elaborate pipe mechanism that watered all of the horses at once. She guessed that Hector had already drained the troughs before she and Wyatt had been summoned for work.

When his bucket was half-empty, Hector crossed the path and walked over to the other two horses to provide them with water too. He poured the water into the pipe as Wyatt dusted his hands off and crossed his arms. Hector finished up and put his bucket on the ground, leaning against one of the posts that held the stable roof up.

"So, what now?" Wyatt asked. Hector shrugged and lifted his hands, showing them he didn't know. "Y'know, man, this would be a lot easier if you spoke."

In response, Hector huffed and looked away, furrowing his brow. "Can we _leave_, dude?" Wyatt pressed. Annie could tell he was trying not to sound angry but Hector was not exactly cooperating.

Hector looked at him again and grunted. "Mm-hmm." His voice was not exactly deep, but it wasn't high, either. It had a slight gruffness to it as far as Annie could tell.

"Thanks." Wyatt sighed. "Come on, Annie." He placed his hand on her back as he walked down the path to get her to follow him. As they walked away, Annie muttered "I wouldn't mind doing that as a job."

"You should tell their leader that whenever you get your 'induction meeting'." Wyatt told her. "Judging by how happy you looked when you were doing it I'd say they'd have to give you this as a job. I'll try and stick around and do the same so you're safe."

Annie smiled and looked up at him, happy he planned to stick around with her. "Thank you."

"Now, come on," Wyatt commanded, "We'll go back to our bunks and wait for the others – see what they've been up to."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Day 966 – Evening<strong>

**Annie**

Annie rested on her bunk with her hands behind her head, staring down her chest at her hat. She had kept it to remember Daniel, the man she had procured it from, and she'd kept that promise.

Em and Kiff had been the first two members of the group to return to the bunks after Annie and Wyatt. Apparently the settlement had quite a few weapons stocked up along with a lot of ammo. It had been too risky to take any in case they needed it, and neither the uncle nor the niece had wanted to compromise their position in the settlement.

The doors to the room opened to reveal Vince and Becca, with Sonja close behind them. The two walked into the room and the woman closed the doors behind them, which Vince refrained from locking as Sully and Mitchell had not returned.

Annie smiled and climbed down the latter on the side of her and Wyatt's bed, running up to Becca and wrapping her arms around the older girl's chest. Becca returned the gesture briefly and then let go.

"Man, they ran us ragged out there." Vince complained. "My arms ache really bad, especially this one." He raised his right hand and gripped his injured left shoulder. "Em, if you could take a look, that'd be great."

The red-headed woman climbed to her feet and told Vince to remove his jacket and unbutton his shirt. She stared at his bandaged wound and said, "If you don't trust the doctors to see this, I think all I can do is take the bandage off and put it back on tighter. Hopefully that'll hold it together and prevent you from opening it..."

"Em, do you actually know what you're doing?" Vince asked. "Sounds like you're going out on a limb and guessing."

"You're right," Emily groaned. "I'm no medic, I just did a first aid course when I was younger. I never learned how to deal with a bullet wound; I was just the best we had back at the gas station."

"Just do what you suggested, I'll deal with it."

As Em took the bandage off of Vince's shoulder and attempted to tie it back up more securely, Sully and Mitchell walked through the doors, no guard behind them.

"That was sweet." Mitchell smirked, crossing his arms. "So calm up there, just looking out and thinking about shit."

"Are you kidding?" Sully grimaced. "It was boring as hell!"

"If you want more action we can always switch places tomorrow." Vince offered. "Becca and I really enjoyed that solid three hours of hammering and heavy lifting."

The group jolted as someone knocked on the door. Sully, who was next to the door, opened it to reveal Silas, who was grinning. The man had a trolley in front of him, which was littered with food – nothing impressive, just heated up canned food and some malnourished-looking vegetables along with a shriveled and slightly burned loaf of bread.

"Dinner time." Silas chuckled. "Have as much or as little as you want. Tomorrow morning you'll resume the posts you were given today and at certain points during the day you'll be summoned for your induction meetings, after which you'll either be assigned a new post which you'll assume straight away, or you'll be told to leave – that's unlikely, though." He pushed the trolley into the room and grabbed the door handle. "Tuck in."

As soon as the man left, Vince shot up and locked the door behind him to prevent anyone from letting themselves in.

"Anyone wanna take first bite in case there's poison in there?" Mitchell scoffed. "No one? Fine, I'll go first." He reached over and tore off a chunk of bread and took a bite before grabbing one of the cans of food. "It's fine." he concluded. "Doesn't taste half bad either."

The group looked at each other before diving towards the food and tucking in. Annie hung back, not wanting to get in the way, but she knew that everyone would take everything before she could get anything to eat. Her heart sank when she saw the trolley covered in nothing but a few crumbs and she stared at the floor, thinking she'd go hungry.

"Why so sad?" Becca asked, nudging her. As she looked up to her left Annie saw her friend holding out some food. Taking it with gratitude Annie smiled and hugged Becca again before sitting on the edge of Wyatt's bed to dig in. As Becca sat down beside her with her own food and the entire group tucked in, Annie felt as if things were going well. The induction meeting with the mysterious leader of Sanctum had her worried but other than that she felt fine. She could tend to those horses for the rest of her life; Hector wasn't a problem considering he never said anything and if Wyatt was there too all would be well. Mitchell seemed to have the same mindset; he enjoyed watch duty as much as she enjoyed feeding the horses.

Annie wished that Bennett was there, too. He was probably out in the cold, alone in the dark. She hoped things would work out and that he'd find a settlement or a group he was happy with.

She climbed off of Wyatt's bed once she finished eating and hopped up the ladder onto the top bunk. Retrieving her hat she hid it under her pillow, took off her shoes and jacket and climbed under the sheet to get some rest.


	28. Securing The Perimeter

**Day 967 – Midday**

**Vince**

Vince and Becca trailed after Sonja, who had woken them up an hour or so ago via loud knocking on the door to the bunks. As Vince unlocked the door the woman had stared firmly at them for a few seconds before returning to her usual, confident smile. She informed that they were to have breakfast as soon as possible, return the trolley their food had been delivered on the night before, and then they would return to the front of the building for another lecture courtesy of Silas.

The duo opted to eat first, though they brought the trolley with them. Sanctum had been a psychiatric hospital at some point, many of its patients living there, so it naturally had a built-in mess hall. Emily and Kiff opened the doors on their way out and held them open so that Becca could push the trolley through, offering them both polite smiles as they did so.

Once they had both downed some dry food, Vince went through a bit of trouble finding where the trolley belonged. Eventually he figured it out, then waved Becca over to lead her to the front of the building.

"I wonder whose '_Induction Meeting' _will be first?" Becca pondered, stroking her chin. "I wonder what job they're gonna give me."

"I doubt you'll be reinforcing the perimeter with me," Vince told her, "They might switch you and Sully around so he's doing the heavy labour and you're on watch duty with Mitchell."

"God..." Becca scoffed, "Not Mitchell. Anything but Mitchell."

Vince smirked as he opened the front door and led the way out onto the path. "Ain't _that_ the truth?"

The two of them walked down the steps, Vince rolling his shoulder around in its socket while Becca placed her hands in her pockets. Silas and some of the others were waiting for them patiently, though Vince couldn't help but feel late.

"Right." Silas began. "You all know where you're at and who you're working with. The main thing I need to talk to you all about is your induction meetings. The two brothers' induction meetings were at twelve and twelve-thirty, so they've already gone. Becca's will be at one o'clock, and Vince's will be at half past. Following them will be the two redheads at two and half past two, and Wyatt and Annie will conclude the meetings at three and half past respectively. These times are non-negotiable, but Annie can wait outside as Wyatt has his meeting. For now, though, you should all get to work."

Vince caught Becca looking nervously at him and he knew what she was feeling; during these half-hour meetings the group members would be alone with the anonymous leader of Sanctum. However, Vince thought that the place seemed like a pretty sure deal after the first day, so he tried not to be too concerned about it.

As the group split up to go their separate ways, Vince led Becca over to Sonja and checked the watch he'd found in the museum five days prior, realising that Becca had less than fifteen minutes before her meeting. He decided not to inform her as it would only increase her anxiousness.

"Okay, you should know the drill by now." Sonja grunted. Her voice was drained of any emotion; she often sounded bored just by talking. "Securing the areas of the wall that aren't giant fucking brick walls."

Vince nodded as they walked parallel to the thick walls of the settlement, passing the gate they had reinforced the previous day. He smirked as he admired his handiwork, staring at the wooden boards and crates they had pushed together and nailed to create a stronger barrier.

Sonja led them further down to another gate, which was in terrible shape; it looked as if something had been rammed into it.

"What the fuck happened here?" Vince asked.

"A couple of weeks ago some bandits tried to get in; they rammed the gate with a _bus_. I hoped that Phil would've sorted this while we were scouting for survivors but he was too lazy to do it." Sonja explained. "We left some boards there temporarily but we need to fix it permanently." She pointed to a car that was in a state of disrepair. "We'll block up what we can with boards and then we'll put this in front of it."

Vince nodded and Sonja handed him a hammer. Becca retrieved a tub of nails and some boards and planted them on the ground. The plan was the same as yesterday; they'd nail boards together, tie them to the gate and then reinforce it with something heavy to prevent it from falling over.

Vince lay a board on the ground, then put another one on the edge, slightly overlapping. He grabbed a nail with his left hand and held it in place, unable to do much work with his injured shoulder, and started banging it with his hammer.

He would start by attaching five or six boards together, pausing momentarily to check how sturdy they were, then he would hold it up to the gate to see if it was large enough. Once he decided his creation was big enough, he walked over to Becca and they worked together to join their panels together.

Vince was certain there had to be better people for the job; he had a shoulder injury and Becca was missing two fingers on her right hand. He felt slightly guilty for dragging Becca into one of the more labour intensive jobs, but he had to keep his eye on her. Hopefully she'd be issued an easier job after her meeting.

"Okay, on three." Vince told her, putting his arms under the patchwork barrier. "One... two... three!"

They began lifting up the wooden construct, and rested it against the fence. Once it was in place, Sonja appeared and gave Becca a drill, telling her to put holes at one metre intervals up the left and right sides of the board. Becca did as she was instructed as Sonja tied the board to the gate by putting zip ties through the holes and tightening them.

All that was left for them to do was secure the barrier by putting the derelict car behind it; hopefully it would provide an extra bit of weight which would prevent anything that rammed it from doing much damage. Becca gave Vince an awkward look as she loitered by the barrier, waiting for he and Sonja to push the car into place.

As they made it around the back of the vehicle Vince turned, catching Becca bending over in front of the wall, using the claw end of her hammer to loosen some of the nails. Not wanted to get her in trouble he said nothing and sighed with relief when she quickly shifted back to her original position, leaning against the barrier. Luckily Sonja had not noticed.

Vince placed his hands on the boot of the car along with the guard and they started pushing it parallel to the wall. As it made its way closer to the gate Becca backed out of the way to give them space and ran around the side of the vehicle to help push it, providing Vince with some relief.

When the job was done, Vince relaxed and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Good job, folks." Sonja said. "Looks pretty sturdy to me, but we'll have to wait and see what happens if any walkers make it up here. Hopefully Curtis and the other two will stop that from happening."

Vince looked at Becca out of the corner of his eye and then glanced at the portion of the barrier where she had loosened the nails. Becca returned the glance momentarily with a shifty look but he could not ask her about it in the presence of Sonja. He'd question her about it in the bunks later, if they didn't see each other before that.

"Is there anything else to do?" Vince inquired, knowing that Sonja probably had something up her sleeve.

"Only some minor patch-ups." the guard replied, "We'll give it a moment or two before we start on that because the kid has her meeting in a minute."

Vince checked his watch. Sure enough, there were only two minutes until one o'clock. "Becca, you should probably get going." he informed her. "I'm not sure if you want to be late."

"Ah, no need." Sonja muttered. "The director isn't _that _picky. Someone will probably show up when you're wanted..." she paused and looked towards the main building. "Speak of the devil..."

Vince looked and saw Silas approaching them with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. His smirk widened and his stride quickened when he noticed Becca. "All ready for your big moment?" he asked.

Becca shrugged. "I don't know what to expect."

"Don't worry about it. It's just... formalities." Silas told her. "If you're assigned a new post you'll go straight there after the meeting. If I were you I'd expect that, considering you're not exactly built to work on the wall. Rumour has it that there's gonna be a bit of a switch-around anyway – they're looking to move the red-headed girl in with all the doctors so she can be a sort of understudy for them, so you might get her place in the supply room anyway."

"Vince and I have a few odd jobs to attend to," Sonja informed him. "Should keep him busy until Becca's meeting is over."

"Well, you get on that, Sonj," Silas muttered, "I'll take the kid where she needs to go. Come on." He beckoned the teenager over with two fingers. As she walked past him, Becca gave Vince a slightly nervous look. "It's fine," he told her, "It won't take long, okay?"

Becca nodded, slightly reassured, and followed Silas towards the building. Not only did Vince hope her meeting would go well, but in a way he was dreading his own.


	29. Meeting Of Minds

**Day 967 – Afternoon**

**Becca**

Becca walked in silence, following Silas as he led her back into the main building of Sanctum. She only paused to look back at Vince, then at the fence.

No one had noticed what she had done. She silently congratulated herself, happy that she had created a loose board in the barrier which she could sneak out of, just like the old days at the pit stop with her sister over two years ago. It had been too long since she'd had the ability to sneak out, and now the opportunity was sitting there, ready to be seized.

Silas opened the double doors of the front-left tower and let Becca inside. Instead of taking her to the right and towards the bunks, he led her straight ahead, down the hallway that ended in the mess hall. Once they were halfway down the hall Silas took a right and Becca followed him up a flight of stairs.

Becca had not been upstairs since she had arrived in Sanctum. As she trailed Silas down another corridor she noticed that everything looked more clinical and less like a hostel. The security appeared to be a lot tighter and she even spotted a few guards she didn't recognise.

Past another series of double doors was a room that looked a lot like a reception or a waiting room. Becca saw a couch that was joined to the wall and Silas pointed to it. "Take a seat." he said, and then pointed to a guard who was waiting by a door with an AK-47. "He'll tell you when it's time to go in."

Becca planted herself on the couch and linked her hands together. She avoided eye contact with the guard she did not recognise and stared at her feet as she waited for her turn in the office. As she looked around she saw a cork-based noticeboard with rotas and positions written on it, along with a map of the settlement. There were black-and-white photographs of each guard pinned up, along with their post in smaller text below it. As far as Becca could tell, Silas's role was 'supervisor and recruitment manager.' Clearly these people were trying to make themselves seem impressive and professional. She recognised certain members of the settlement, such as Sonja, Hector and Curtis. Apparently the Hispanic woman was named Scarlet and the man guarding the door to his leader's office was the 'Phil' Sonja had mentioned earlier.

As she stared at the mugshot of him, the dark skinned man opened the door to the office and stepped inside. Becca almost shot to her feet and followed him but the door closed after he disappeared inside. Sitting back down, Becca huffed to herself as she heard murmuring coming from the next room. It was impossible to make out voices, but the tone was calm and professional.

She looked straight ahead, disregarding the office door to her right, and saw another series of double doors dead ahead with circular windows towards the top. Becca was too low down to see through them, but she could just about make out that the room past the doors had blue walls. She wasn't sure why she cared, but it was interesting to know.

The man resurfaced from the office looking at her. "Room's empty right now 'cause the boss has something to take care of, but you can go in. Just don't touch anything."

Becca nodded as the man shifted his assault rifle in his hands. He returned to his post just outside of the door and eyed her as she reached for the door handle and walked into the office.

In contrast to the cold, surgical environment of Sanctum, the office felt warm and homely. A desk sat in the centre of the room, a cushioned, leather swivel chair behind it facing the door, with another room access to the right. There was a window positioned at the back of the room, which Becca guessed overlooked the front gate. The desk was made from mahogany and looked like it had been expensive; Becca assumed it had been left here by the manager of the place before the apocalypse, so no one had paid for it. A potted plant sat to the right of the table and several folders and papers were on the left but by no means was the table cluttered.

After giving the place a brief look, Becca dragged her feet across the grey carpet and sat down in a wood-back chair that was probably a lot less comfortable than the leather seat on the other side of the desk. She drummed her thighs with her palms and stared at her feet wondering how long it would take for the leader of Sanctum to get there. She mused about what they would be like, before deciding it was best not to get her hopes up.

The chair she was sitting in was still warm. That meant that whoever had been there before her – Sully or Mitchell, she could not remember – had left not very long ago. They had not left the way she had come in, so they must have gone through the door to the right. Becca kept thinking about what they had been assigned – and what she would be assigned in the near future.

The door on her right opened to reveal a grey-haired, crease-faced woman, pouring two glasses of water from the same jug. She regarded Becca briefly with cold, blue eyes before setting the tray with the glasses on it down on the desk. The teenager heard a brief squeaking of leather as the woman took her seat in the leather chair across from her and locked her hands together, placing them on the desk.

"Greetings," the woman said firmly, "I am director Shaw, the leader of Sanctum." She reached forward and offered a gloved right hand for Becca to shake. Becca raised her right hand but realised it was her mutilated one. Taken off-guard, her eyes flitted from the woman to her hand as she tried to figure out what to do.

Smoothly, Shaw retracted her hand and raised a clipboard and pen. In a desperate attempt to prevent herself from falling into a position of weakness, Becca blurted, "Gotta be honest, I expected you to be a man."

Shaw looked up from what she was writing without moving her head. Disregarding Becca the woman continued writing before placing the clipboard down on the table. "Contrary to common misconceptions, Sanctum is a matriarchy." She confirmed informatively.

"Cool... cool." Becca gulped awkwardly, reaching for the glass of water so that her hands were not hanging clumsily by her side. She took a sip and held onto the cup with both hands.

Shaw tapped her pen on the table rhythmically, her cold eyes similar to those of a walker as she silently judged the teen. Becca couldn't bring herself to return the look, instead opting to stare into the bottom of her glass.

"Your name." Shaw demanded.

Becca was taken back by the sudden utterance, not thinking as she blurted, "Wha..?"

"Your name." the woman repeated. "What is it?"

"Becca." Becca replied.

Shaw's impatience was almost tangible as she sighed to herself. "Becca.. what?"

"Becca Williams."

"I find that hard to believe. Your _full _name."

Becca stifled a groan as she leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling, forcing out the full name she hated so much. "_Rebecca _Williams."

"Suddenly, a breakthrough," Shaw narrated to herself in a condescending tone. "Your date of birth and age?"

"August Fifth. Fifteen." Becca grunted, taking another sip of water as Shaw marked it down.

Shaw stroked her chin as she studied Becca again, the wrinkles around her eyes pressing together. "Have you come to Sanctum with any... _family members?_"

Becca gulped as her stomach sank. Shaw _knew _the answer to this. She _knew _Becca was alone. She probably didn't know Shel or that Shel was dead, but she _knew _Becca had no family left and that was plain cruel – so Becca decided to take the woman off guard.

"Yeah," she replied. "I like to... consider Annie as my younger sister. She's... adopted."

Shaw paused, raised one eyebrow, and took a moment to write an extremely brief sentence. "Your town or city of birth?"

"Atlanta, Georgia. I can give you the exact hospital if you want." Becca replied bluntly, taking another sip. She was doing quite well to recover from that awkward comment at the start of the meeting.

"That will not be necessary." the director informed her. "And how are you finding work on the wall?"

"Fine." Becca grunted. "If I'm with Vince or Annie or Wyatt, it's fine." She squinted, trying to make out what the woman was scrawling on her clipboard, but the perspective was off; she could not make out a word.

"Just one last question – this one is personal." the director said.

Becca found an involuntary scoff escaping her throat. "As if the others weren't."

Shaw brushed a wisp of grey hair from her forehead before baring down on Becca with her next question. "You were bitten. Describe the events and how they played out; where exactly were you bitten, how long after the initial bite was the amputation, what was the recovery time?"

Becca almost choked on her water. Those events were not ones she wanted to revisit, but if it secured her place in Sanctum she would have to. "We were getting out of a herd – a whole ton of dead," she began, "'We' being me, Vince and this other guy called Miles who isn't around any more. We got on top of this shed and had to jump down. The other two went before me to make sure it was safe and when I jumped I landed all wrong and this walker got the jump on me. They shouted to me and I turned to attack it but the edge of my hand went _right _in its mouth and it bit me."

"Interesting," Shaw said, making a note of it. "Do continue."

Becca took a deep, shaky breath, feeling a headache coming on. "After that I... sort of blacked out and when I woke up half my hand was gone." She gulped and crushed her eyes together. For some reason, she was tired. "It, uh... I, uh... woke up and it kind of felt like a dream for a while. They had to carry me for the rest of the day but after that I was fine. I could walk and everything but I couldn't do a whole lot else. For a few days after that it, um... really hurt because of the cold weather and I... uh... it..."

She rubbed her eyes – her headache was getting worse and she felt increasingly more tired. She looked around and tried to continue talking but it took a few seconds for what she saw to fall in line with her head. She stuttered, attempting to form an apology "Uh... sorry... I'm, um..."

"It's quite all right." Shaw replied.

"What... the..?" Becca groaned, pressing her hands to the sides of her head. Her head was spinning uncontrollably. She saw Shaw speaking but could make out what was going on. She stood up, her mind no longer in power of her body and placed her empty glass on the table.

_I need... to..._

She forced herself to think.

_Oh, God, I... don't... feel well._

She staggered for the door, her arm outstretched as she reached for the handle.

_Where's... I... need to... Vince._

She leaned forward, almost at the door, unsure of how she would even make it to Vince in the state she was in. What was happening?

All of a sudden, her body tipped towards the door, falling limp. Becca hit the carpet with a thud, her face pressing into the carpet.

The door opened and the guard from outside stepped in. Becca's vision was blurred and she couldn't move; every blink felt like it took an hour.

Shaw was stroking her forehead. Becca wanted to scream in fear and ask what the hell was going on but she was no longer in control.

"Don't worry," Shaw told her as she gave in to the fatigue, "You've been given a valuable gift and it would be rude to waste it. It'll all be over soon, we just need to open you up and see what makes a bitten girl tick."


	30. Faint Dead Away

**Becca**

"_Wh... what the fuck..?"_

Becca sat up. She was alone in a blank, white world.

"_Where the hell am I?"_

She looked at her hands. Nothing felt _real_. Oddly enough, both her hands were intact – no amputation, no scars. Instinctively her hand rushed to her left cheek – no scar there, either. She stood up and looked at her feet, grabbing the fabric of her shirt – it was pink, and she was wearing a yellowish-brown jacket over the top of it. That didn't make sense; she'd grown out of those things years ago.

Looking around, she realised there was no floor or ceiling or walls, just white. She took a tentative step forward and felt her foot collide with _something,_ but there was nothing there. At least she knew she could walk.

No matter how far she walked from her starting point, Becca never seemed to get anywhere because everything looked the same. She still couldn't discern what was going on. Was it a hallucination? A dream? Was she _dead?_

If she was dead, then surely...

Becca gasped as a building came into view. She instantly recognised the white painted wood that covered the outside of the house, along with the garden and the swing set that sat there disused. Becca picked up the pace as she saw one of the swings moving. She vaulted over the fence, not feeling the wood under her hands as she grasped it, but not caring either. She let slip a cry of shock as she tipped over the barrier, landing in a bush and rolling out of it unscathed.

When she stood up, Becca saw that the swing was empty. She sighed. It was probably just the wind. Dumbfounded and unsure of what to do, Becca groaned and took a seat next on the swing next to the one that was already in motion, staring into the house, knowing that the kitchen was just past the window. She smiled as she remembered her dad's awful cooking, and all of a sudden the smell of it filled her mind.

She looked ahead and saw the man himself trimming the hedge opposite her. "Oh, my god." She muttered.

Shocked by her words, the man turned around. Becca grinned as she leapt off of the swing-seat as the man stared at her, perplexed. "..._Bec?"_

Becca ran to the man and he crouched down to catch her embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, knowing full well that whatever this was wasn't real by now, but it could be – if she wanted it to. Becca pulled back and looked at her dad's face. She recognised his greying hair, which had once been the same colour as her own. He had quite a wide jaw and small eyes. Becca had creases beneath her eyes similar to him, but hers were much lighter and his were deeper with age.

"Dad." Becca stuttered.

Her dad put his hedge-trimmers to one side. "_What are you doing here?" _he asked. "_Shouldn't you be with the others?"_

"Others?" Becca asked.

The man smiled as he grabbed her wrists. "_You know who I mean. As much as I want you to stay here with us we both know it's not time for that. Vince, Wyatt, Annie... they all need you more than we do."_

Becca stared into her father's eyes, trying to work out what he was saying. "Wait..." she paused. "Who's 'we'?"

"_Who do you think?" _came another voice from all around her. She looked around.

Behind her, sitting on the moving swing beneath the blank, white sky was her sister. "Sh...Shel!" Becca shouted. She turned away from her father, running towards the woman on the swing. Shel smiled and crouched in a similar manner to their dad, pulling Becca in tightly. Becca did not receive any warmth from the embrace, just... nothing.

"What happened to me?" Becca asked, pulling away from Shel and sitting on the swing next to her. "Why am I here?"

"_We don't know," _Shel told her, frowning. "_We don't know because _you _don't know. We only know as much as you."_

"Well," Becca groaned, "That's useful. Do I know what happened to me? What did they do to me?"

"_We can't be sure," _her dad informed her as he tended to his garden. "_You know this isn't real, though. You know that whatever it is, it's lucid, so you're in control of this. That's how we showed up, you think."_

Becca agreed, knowing that her dad was just repeating her own thoughts. "Anything I want in this place, I can just make it?"

Her father shrugged, _"I don't see why not."_

She thought long and hard – what did she want most in this place? Maybe she could bring the others over and introduce them to her dad. Attempting to summon Vince, Wyatt and Annie with her thoughts, Becca received nothing.

"_Uh... not them." _Shel told her. "_I don't know why you can't bring them here, because you don't know, but maybe you should try someone who has something in common with dad and I?"_

Becca frowned. She had to call upon someone dead. Vince had helped her through a hard time after her sister's death, but there had been someone else, too. Someone who understood how she felt, who could possibly help her now.

She looked to her right and saw that the seat beside her was occupied now. Miles smirked slightly before asking her something. "_What's going on? What do you need help with?"_

Becca looked at the blonde-haired man. His appearance was slightly unsettling because he had one bullet hole in his shoulder and two in his chest, though he didn't seem inconvenienced by them. She stared at Shel, and realised that her sister also had a bullet wound in her chest. Her father even had a fatal bite on his wrist.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do." She admitted. "I don't even know where I am. I need help."

"_I can't help you there," _Miles told her regretfully, "_Me and Shel and your dad, none of us are real, y'know?"_

"Yeah, I know, because you're just repeating what I'm thinking. Stop it, it's annoying."

"_You _did _ask for me, so what are we gonna do about it?"_

"Can you tell me if I'm dreaming or dead or whatever?"

Miles shrugged. "_I don't know if you don't. You need to work this out for yourself, we can only... reach into your mind and ask you things you're already asking yourself."_

Becca gulped. "Uh, okay. Give me a question."

"_What did that woman say to you?" _Shel asked, "_What did she say they were doing with you?"_

"She said they were gonna... oh god." Becca's stomach sank when she remembered Director Shaw's words.

"_They were gonna open you up." _Shel finished. "_You don't really know what that means, so we can't say anything else about that. How do you think they made you go all dizzy?"_

"Oh, god, I don't know." Becca panicked. "What's gonna happen to me?"

All of a sudden things started feeling lighter, feeling warmer. Something was happening. "What's going on?" She asked.

"_Okay, focus," _Miles told her, "_You're dreaming. You _know _you're dreaming."_

"_What happens when you stop dreaming?" _Her father asked.

"I... wake up." Becca guessed. "Is that what's happening?" She looked up at the sky, which had remained white. Her home had taken on an almost two-dimensional visage, like a painting, and things were becoming distorted.

"_It'll only happen if you _make _it happen!" _Shel told her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "_You need to wake up, then maybe you'll be able to figure out what's going on. Becca, you need to wake up."_

Becca looked to her right. Miles had disappeared. "I want to stay here with you!" She moaned.

"_Bec, listen to me," _her father told her. She looked at him, but his body was disappearing in spots, just like the house. "_You need to take this chance and get up. I know because _you _know. Now's your chance!"_

"Dad, no!" Becca yelled, reaching out. Her father didn't react, merely dispersing into the whiteness. All that was left now was Becca, Shel and the swings, which were slowly disappearing.

"_Becca, the others need you." _Shel told her. _"You need to wake up." _

Becca felt herself being brought into a tight hug. "_If you ever need me, I'm right here."_ Shel muttered, tapping the side of Becca's head. "_You'll be fine, Becca, I swear. Now wake up."_

"Wake up." Becca echoed.

"_That's right," _Shel congratulated, placing her hands on Becca's cheeks. _"You can do it, wake up!"_

"Wake up!" Becca yelled.

Shel started fading along with the rest, disappearing into the aether, leaving only another shout. _"Come on, now, wake up!"_

Becca took a deep breath as her sister disappeared for the second time in her life, and prepared another shout.

"WAKE UP!"


	31. Health And Safety, Pt1

**Day 969 – Midnight**

**Becca**

Becca spluttered, shooting up in... whatever she had been lying on. "Sh-shel..."

he room was dark, claustrophobic. It felt like she was lying in a cupboard.

"_Where the fuck am I?" _She thought, "_What's... happening?"_

She looked to her left, and saw that something was blocking her view. She lifted a hand and reached for it, feeling cold plastic come into contact with her fingers. There was glass there, too, or something similar. It felt like a TV. Or a monitor.

She sat up, feeling air whip against her spine. Bedsheets were covering the front of her body, along with something else, but her back was bare. In a desperate attempt to find out what was going on, she held out her right arm and grabbed a steel bar that ran down the side of the bed she was in.

Something attached to her index finger tapped against the railing. Becca pulled her hand back and used her other arm to explore the foreign entity in the darkness. It felt like a sort of clip that was covering her finger, but it didn't seem like it would be a problem to remove. She grabbed the end and pushed down, hoping it was some sort of push-to-remove mechanism, and felt relieved when it came free.

Becca attempted to flip over and climb out of the bed, but felt something pinch her right forearm. Instinctively her left hand slapped her limb in an attempt to detect what it was. A sharp intake of breath hit the back of her throat as she felt some sort of tube or wire digging in to her skin, taped to her arm with something. She sighed, tore the adhesives from her arm and wrapped her fingers around the tube. "_Okay," _she thought, "_Just, uh... just gotta pull it out. It'll only hurt for a second..." _

She took a deep breath as her grip tightened on the tubing and gritted her teeth. "_On three," _she decided. "_One... two... __**three!" **_Her closed mouth stifled a fierce cry as the cable escaped her arm. She threw it aside and felt something trickle down her arm, unable to see what it was in the darkness.

No longer wired up to anything, Becca could escape. Her breathing wavering, she gripped the rail at the side of the bed and stuck one foot over. She had to lower herself further than she expected before the sole of her bare foot connected with the frigid tiles on the floor, but once she had lifted herself off of the bed she was free to walk around.

Reaching forwards to try and find a door, Becca was shocked to find that the walls were made of a thick fabric, perhaps a curtain. She ran her hands along the material to find an opening, and stepped out into a much wider room. Pale, cold, blue light shone in her face as she held up an arm to shield herself. As she did so, she saw blood dripping from her right arm where she had ripped out the tubing. She had to bandage it somehow.

Becca scanned the room for any sign of medical supplies, before wandering over into the light. Looking back she saw that the bed she had been in was in the corner of the room, with a door across from it. The windows were on the same side as the door, stretching down as far as the room did. Cupping her hands to the sides of her head, Becca saw one of the corridors that connected two of Sanctum's towers. Apparently she was being held inside a building that was in the centre of the courtyard.

Feeling another breeze brushing against her back, Becca tried to work out what she was wearing. She padded herself down, working out that it was loose and didn't cover her back, and she was practically naked beneath it. She also found some form of knot holding it on behind her neck, which made her think it was some kind of hospital gown. If she was going to get out, she would need to find some clothes.

Turning to face the back wall Becca saw a work surface at the back of the room, parallel to the windows, beneath which there were a series of drawers. Her main priority was to bandage her arm; she noticed a box of tissues on a shelf and decided that they would do the job well enough. She staggered over to the other side of the room and grabbed a handful, pinning them to her right arm to stem the bleeding as she spotted some papers on the work surface, along with the clipboard Shaw had written her details on during the 'induction meeting' that had turned out to be a trap;

"NAME: REBECCA WILLIAMS

AGE: 15 (05 AUG)

CITY OF BIRTH: ATLANTA, GA

FAMILY: NONE"

Becca snarled at the piece of paper. She had told Shaw that she considered Annie family. The temptation to tear the paper up was overidden by her curiosity.

"PERSONALITY NOTES: ABRASIVE, DISRESPECTFUL, STRONG-WILLED

AMPUTATION NOTES: Bitten on side of hand, amputated less than a minute after by subject known as VINCE SUNG (see X-ray images for bone and nerve damage)

_Surgeon notes: N__o sign of viral traces in blood samples (Blood type O), muscle samples required for further knowledge, though the ability to reverse-engineer a vaccine from amputated victims seems unlikely._"

Becca huffed to herself. Shaw had referred to Vince as a 'subject' which made her think that she had the whole group. Her stomach sank – what if they had _Annie?_

Becca tore the paper from the clipboard – if her hand was capable of writing she would have left it there with the words _'fuck you, bitchface,'_ scrawled on it – but taking the information so that Shaw didn't have it was the next best option. She gave the X-rays of her right hand a passing glance before taking those and rolling them up into a tube before throwing them on the bed.

She didn't know how much time had passed since she had awoken – it could only have been two or three minutes, but she was still pressed for time and needed to sort herself out so that she could find everyone. The board she had loosened the day before – or _days _before, she couldn't be sure - would be a decent route of exit. She rounded the bed and scoured the drawers, finding several items of clothing, but they were all either too big or too filthy for her to want to wear them. She sighed with relief when she recognised her red and white varsity jacket, almost wanting to pull it from the drawer and hug it. When she lifted it she realised that all of her garments were there, along with her boots and her backpack. She pulled everything out of the drawer, only donning what was absolutely necessary, skipping her socks to save time, putting her shoes on her bare feet and neglecting to tie up the laces, instead stuffing them down the sides of her ankles.

Though she was certain that her t-shirt was inside-out, Becca gave it no further thought. She opened her backpack – of _course _her pistol had been seized – and stuffed the papers and her spare clothing inside. Silently she slid the backpack over her shoulders and headed for the door.

The corridor outside was dark and lit with the same blue light as the previous room. Hearing footsteps, Becca ducked behind a cabinet with a potted plant on top of it, hoping it would provide suitable cover in the darkness.

The sound of feet hitting the floor was getting louder and closer and it was fast, making it clear to her that they were in a panic. "Power cut!" Someone yelled – a man. She did not recognise the voice, but someone else was with him. "How are we supposed to keep the subjects under if the power keeps cutting out?!"

Becca hummed to herself, assuming that the lack of power combined with whatever drug had been administered wearing off had caused her to wake up. If the drop covered the entire settlement then perhaps the others were waking up too. She just had to find them.

The two doctors passed the cabinet she was hiding behind. Pinning a hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp, Becca's shoulders sagged with relief when she was not discovered. The two doctors had gone straight past the room she had been kept unconscious in, as well. "Checking the first subject."

"_Fuck." _Becca cursed. She wouldn't be able to rescue whoever was in there. Who was likely to be 'first'? Sully or Mitchell – their meetings had been first as far as she knew. If the doctors were checking that way it meant that it wouldn't be long before they checked her room and knew that she was gone. She would have to make a move, and quick.

Once she was certain that the corridor was clear, Becca darted in the opposite direction that the doctors had gone, moving as silently as the soles of her boots would allow her to be. She didn't know where any of the others were, or how many of them had been drugged for 'tests'. She had a terrible feeling in her gut that was comprised of fear, hunger or a mixture of both.

Her main priority was Vince. Once he was safe he would think of something, he'd know what they could do; he always did. Then they would find Annie and Wyatt and try to find the others, but if things got too heated Becca knew that they would have to make a run for it while the four of them were still safe.

She panicked, hearing footsteps about to turn the corner at the end of the corridor. Cursing herself for becoming lost in thought, Becca picked up the pace, worried about how loud her steps were. She had to find somewhere to hide, and quick.

She sighed as she hugged the wall, noticing a door just ahead. She would be able to hide in there, be it another room or a broom cupboard. She grabbed hold of the plastic handle and pushed it open, looking over her shoulder with caution.

All of a sudden, someone grabbed Becca's arm, tugging her into the room and slamming her against the wall. Becca fought the urge to scream, knowing it would only attract unwanted attention. She heard a sigh of relief as the thick, hairy hands loosened and let her go. "Oh, thank Christ." a voice whispered.

Becca collapsed onto her knees, wiping her face as she looked up. Kiff stood with a shocked look on his face as he recognised her, then turned his bearded head to look over his shoulder. "_It's fine," _he hissed, "_It's one of ours."_

Becca looked past Kiff, spotting Emily behind him, wielding a bedside lamp. "_Phew," _the older girl sighed, "_Thought we'd have to kill someone for a second." _her eyes fell on Becca. "_What's going on here? Do you know what they're doing?"_

Kiff looked over his shoulder. _"I just thought the bitch was just being nice giving us that water, she just roofied us."_

"_I don't know what's going on," _Becca told them, crouching. _"I woke up with a drip in my arm and this... thing around my finger." _She gauged their reactions and felt slightly relieved when they nodded, telling her they had woken up to the same thing. _"They had notes about my name and everything; all the stuff I'd told her in the meeting."_

"_Same," _Kiff admitted. _"We tore 'em up and binned them. I'll be damned if I let that cow keep hold of my personal details."_

"_They had X-rays of my hand, and notes about how they'd done blood samples." _She lifted her right hand to show them where she had been amputated. It was quite a sight with no bandage._ "I think they were planning to use my hand to try and make a cure but I don't think it works like that because I'm not immune."_

"_That's the hand you were bitten on, right?" _Em asked. She gulped as Becca nodded in confirmation. _"Listen," _the younger of the two redheads said, "_We need to get out of here, and we need to find the others. Did you come from across the hall?"_

Becca shook her head. _"I came from down the corridor, but the doctors went down there to check some stuff. You think someone might be across the hall?"_

Emily nodded, "_We need to get there as quick as possible. I'm not leaving without the others."_

Becca drew herself up to her full height and pressed her ear to the door. "_Whoever was coming past here is gone." _She informed them. "_If we're going, we've got to go __**now.**__"_


	32. Health And Safety, Pt2

**Day 969 – Midnight**

**Becca**

Becca opened the door and ducked out of the room, Emily and Kiff in tow. Briefly checking both sides of the corridor she darted into the room across the hall and held the door open for the other two. Becca slowly closed the door behind her, wincing as it fell into place. She jumped up and gestured for Kiff to keep watch, before darting over to the work surface, noticing that this room was a mirror image of the one she had woken up in.

Once she reached the counter, Becca lifted the clipboard and her eyes widened as she scanned the details of the person who was being held in the room.

"NAME: ANNIE MOORE

AGE: 7 (11 JUN)

CITY OF BIRTH: JACKSON, TN"

Becca tore the paper from the clipboard and dashed for the bed, which was still surrounded by a fabric curtain. "_Who is it?" _Em whispered tersely. Becca ignored her, tearing open the curtain. Annie was lying on her side, hugging her knees with her wide eyes staring into space.

"_Annie." _Becca hissed. "Annie!"

The seven-year-old's head jerked slightly before she recognised Becca. She was dressed in nothing but a hospital gown, just as the others had been, and her usually-hatted head was bare. As soon as she recognised Becca the girl became the human incarnation of happiness, darting up and wrapping her arms around the teenager. Becca only returned the hug for a second, before pushing her off. "_We have to get out of here." _She commanded, eyeing the IV tube that was still in Annie's arm. This was going to be tough.

She turned to Kiff and Emily, requesting them to leave her presence. "Hey, I've got this, can you try and find the others?"

"_I'm not sure we should split up..." _Em muttered, but Becca's expression didn't relent. Kiff waved Em over, signalling that the coast was clear and they disappeared out of the room to find Vince, Wyatt, Mitchell and Sully.

Becca helped Annie out of the hospital bed and planted her on the ground, taking the finger-clip instrument off as she did so. "Annie, I need you to be brave, okay?"

Annie nodded, pouting. She clearly didn't feel brave. Becca wrapped her arm around the IV tube and got ready to pull. "This is going to sting, but you can't make a noise. We need to do it to get out, okay?"

Whimpering, Annie crushed her eyelids together and turned her head away. Becca didn't count down, as Annie would probably chicken out before she reached one. Instead, the teenager just tugged as soon as Annie wasn't looking. The younger girl yelped and emitted a wavered breath but no other noise came escaped her body.

Becca left the little girl there for a second as she scoured the drawers for her clothes. Upon her return she found Annie staring at the floor, gripping her arm, sobbing.

"Hey, hey," Becca said, rushing over, "don't be like that. You're... you're strong, okay? You can be strong." She passed Annie her clothes. "Go behind the curtain, get dressed, we need to get out of here, quick."

Annie took the garments and slowly padded behind the curtain as Becca put the paper filled with Annie's details in her backpack. Soon enough, Annie returned with her own clothes on, but something was missing. Becca leapt up and ran over to the drawers again, scouring their contents for something. When she spotted what she was looking for she ran over to Annie and placed it on her head. Annie's mood changed for the better, but only slightly. Becca crouched and hugged her again. "You're gonna be okay," she ensured. "We'll get out."

Annie hummed into Becca's shoulder, her grip tightening on the shoulder blade of the teenager's jacket. Becca grabbed her hand and led her towards the door, pushing it open slightly to take a look outside. Gasping, she saw a doctor striding in their direction with great purpose. The white-jacketed woman was shouting commands into a walkie-talkie. "We have a displaced subject. I repeat, Subject Three is missing. Second room on the left. Monroe is checking on Four, Five and Six. I need to get this to Director Shaw _immediately._"

"_Fuck." _Becca growled. She had been in the second room on the left, and one of the doctors was checking the rooms, meaning that they would run into Em and Kiff soon enough. Becca had to get out with Annie while she still could. Keeping hold of the child's hand she shoved the door open and aimed to head up the hall after the doctor, but someone called out.

"_Becca!" _came a familiar voice, "_Where are you going?"_

She turned to see Vince peering out of the room across from the one she had woken up in. Becca felt relief rise in her stomach as she sprinted down the hallway with Annie in tow. Vince pushed the door open and let them both in before sliding it shut smoothly.

Becca span around in the room, recognising Em, Kiff, Wyatt and Vince. "Wyatt was already trying getting ready when we found him, then we darted over to Vince's room." Kiff explained.

"They almost had me when the power cut out. I had to play possum and pretend I was out cold." Vince told her. "Then when I _did _get up some guy caught me while I was getting dressed, but Em and Kiff took care of him before he could do anything." He gestured to a body that was lying on the bed he had been unconscious in not ten minutes prior. "He isn't dead, but he won't be getting up for a while," he said, whipping the curtains shut around the figure.

"How are we getting out, dudes?" Wyatt asked.

Em rested a hand on her hip. "We _need _to find Sully and Mitchell."

"Right you are," Kiff nodded, "But what's our way out?"

Becca cleared her throat. "I can handle that," she announced. "Vince, remember when we were fixing the wall before our meeting?" she waited for his reaction. "I loosened one of the boards so I could sneak out when they were more relaxed with us. It's what I did a long time ago before we met."

"So I've heard." Vince muttered. "That board... will it get us all out?"

Becca nodded, "Should be big enough for all of us to fit through with a squeeze, plus it's loose enough to just pull off with just our hands."

"Okay." Vince commanded. "We've gotta move – get Sully and Mitchell, and get out of here." He strode briskly over to the door and pushed it open slightly. "They're just down there. Let's hustle, people."

The group of six shuffled out of the room, aiming to head down the corridor, but they halted as torch beams reached out from under the door at the end of the hall. "Shit, _shit!" _Wyatt grunted. "_We need to get out of here!"_

"What about Sully?!" Em cried, "We can't just _leave _him here!"

"We aren't armed." Vince muttered, "If they catch us, we're screwed. I'll get as many of us out as I can then I'll try and come back for them, okay?" He turned to run in the opposite direction to where Sully and Mitchell were being held. Becca looked down the hallway for a second, and then sprinted after the man with the others in tow.

Vince led them around a corner, unsure of where to head, and pushed open a door. "_Fuck," _he growled, slamming it shut without entering. He glanced at them all quickly, going back the way he had came. Becca followed his every move, sticking right behind him as he ran down the corridor and opened another door that led into a stairwell. "All right!" Vince grunted.

The group headed down the flight of stairs, all the way to the bottom. From there they piled through another door and dashed through a ground floor room, ignoring the growing commotion emanating from all around them. Wyatt pointed at a door though which cold, morning light shone and slammed it open, directing the group out into the courtyard between the inner building and the towers of Sanctum.

They paused for a second, glancing around, unsure of where to head next. Em and Kiff ran to the corner of the building and peered round while Wyatt and Vince scanned the immediate area for a point of entry into one of the towers.

"_Down here!" _Em hissed, waving them all over. Becca kept hold of Annie's wrist and tugged her in their direction as the other two ceased looking for an exit and followed them. Em and Kiff were already running for a push-to-open door that lead straight into another corridor. "We need to get into one of the towers and make a run for it." Vince told them. "We've outrun them so far, we might get to the wall before they can organise themselves."

They sprinted down another hallway, running into a locked door. "_Fuck!" _Wyatt cursed. "_Fuck, fuck fuck!"_

Kiff held up a hand to silence him. "I'll take care of this, son." He reached down and grabbed a cabinet with both hands, then lifted it, grunting with strain. With a relieved yell of effort, the fat, red headed man threw the cabinet into the window just above the door handle, then thrust his elbow into the crack it created. He reached through the broken glass and turned the bolt, sliding it out of its home and opening the door.

"Nice one, Kiff," Vince congratulated, "but we need to go."

Kiff nodded and they continued their daring escape, heading for one of the towers that was situated on a corner of the square building that was Sanctum. Vince barged another door open with his right shoulder, bringing them into a square room with a set of double doors to their left. "Out here!" He yelled. The door was barred with a heavy wooden plank, but between Wyatt, Kiff and Em it was no real obstacle. They dropped the plank on the ground and pushed the double doors open.

"Almost there," Vince told them, "Just... let me get my bearings a second."

"No need," Becca muttered, her breath wavering, "I know where to go from here. The front gate would be on the next side to our left, so we need to go right." She led them directly right from the double doors, pointing to the fence as she did so. Soon enough Vince grunted with victory as he recognised the boarded up gate and they all picked up the pace, knowing that they were home free.

It felt like hours as they crossed the dirt path, though Becca knew it could have only been a few seconds. As they reached the car Vince and Sonja had pushed in front of the gate, Becca ran around the bonnet and felt her hands connect with the wooden board she had loosened. "It's still loose!" She grinned, placing her hands around the sides of the barrier.

Becca felt the nails give way and soon enough the board pinged backwards with such force that it knocked her over. She collapsed onto her back, the wood still in her hands, her stomach performing a somersault as she heard the sounds of guns cocking.

Looking over her shoulder, Becca saw that her entire group's hands were raised in surrender, none of them wanting to be shot. Standing at the top of some stairs that led back into the building was Director Shaw, along with all her goons; Silas, Sonja, Hector and the others whose names she had forgotten.

"Well done... _well done." _Shaw congratulated, clapping her gloved palms together. "But _this? This _was your master plan? Run for a couple of minutes and sneak out through a hole in the wall?" she sighed, "I expected better from you all; as you probably guessed by reading confidential documents, we are trying to engineer a _cure _to all of this, and we need people to test it on – _willing _subjects are... hard to come by, which is why we had to administer you all with drugs. All of this could disappear as soon as you return to your wards and let what has to happen, happen; for the greater good."

"There's no cure." Vince growled bluntly. "And these people are _not _your... fucking... personal science projects!"

Becca winced as Silas advanced on her, the barrel of his assault rifle trained on her forehead. "Get up, you stupid bitch," he rumbled, "you could've made this easy and we wouldn't have had to kill anyone."

Becca climbed to her feet, hanging her head and raising her arms in surrender. As she fell into line next to the rest of her group, she made eye contact with Kiff. The man was scowling fiercely at Shaw and her crones, though his eyes kept darting from Em to Annie, who was directly to his right.

Silas backed off, his eyes trained on Becca as he retreated back towards his allies. "You're lucky you weren't among the first few we had to test on." Shaw chuckled darkly, her hands behind her back. "They lost more than blood and muscle samples." She turned to Silas and raised her left hand in a light gesture. "Take them to where we keep the... refuse until the power outage is resolved."

Silas nodded, and advanced on the group along with Hector, Sonja and three other guards. Becca looked at Kiff and whispered to him. "Psst."

"What?"

"_Get Annie out of here, get her through the hole and go with her. Get help."_

Kiff grinned. "_That's what I was thinking. Cause a distraction and we're on, mate."_

Becca took a deep breath and stared at the ground. She flexed her fingers and concentrated on the sound of Silas's approaching feet. After counting five steps, she ducked down low, threw her arms out wide and ran at the man in a desperate attempt to tackle him, screaming as loud as her lungs would allow her to.

Her cheek connected with the man's stomach, knocking him back but not causing him to fall. A shock was all she needed for Kiff to do what he was planning to.

Everything changed in an instant. Shouting was heard, particularly from Em, as the entire crowd froze in shock. Silas wrenched her backwards, shoving her shoulders fiercely and making her collapse onto her behind. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kiff bundling Annie towards the hole in the fence

She leapt up as the little girl headed for the gap, her saviour just behind her. "ANNIE, GO!" she screamed.

"KIFF, DON'T DO IT!" Em cried, dashing for her Uncle, "THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

"Damn fucking straight!" Silas bellowed, raising his AK-47 and slugging Kiff in the kidney. The man collapsed onto his side as he dropped Annie, but the little girl still headed for the hole. Silas got ready to incapacitate the seven-year-old, but Em got in his way. He raised his hand and slapped her backwards, catching Kiff's attention. The middle-aged man got up in pain, making sure that Annie was outside the wall before charging at Silas, his left arm pinned to his bleeding side.

Becca ran for the gate but knew that she wouldn't have time to crawl through before someone grabbed her leg and dragged her back in. She gripped the cold iron bars and stared at Annie, who was panicking on the other side. "It'll be fine!" she said, "Run! Go get help – find someone, anyone! Bennett, if he's out there!"

Em and Kiff met in the midst of the chaos, a futile hug enveloping them both. Silas snarled as he pried them apart, Hector restraining Em. "LET GO OF HER!" Kiff yelled, "FUCKING LET GO OF HER!"

Silas slammed the man onto the car bonnet, causing him to flop to the ground, wincing in pain. Em screamed as Hector pulled her back with a fearful look on his face as Silas stamped on Kiff's chest. "LET GO OF HER!" Kiff roared again. In response to Kiff's shouts and Em's moans, Silas simply raised his weapon, aimed downwards, and emptied his magazine into Kiff's face.

Em screamed with grief as her uncle's body fell lifeless, slumping as all the tension in his body relaxed. Becca looked over her shoulder briefly, seeing everyone in their place. Vince and Wyatt were already being shoved back into Sanctum, while Em struggled to collapse onto her Uncle's body, Hector restraining her. Shaw was admiring the spectacle with a blank look on her face.

Silas was coming for her now. She had to get Annie to move before it was too late.

"Annie, run!" She wept, "You can do this, you need to run, now, because I don't want you to see whatever they do to me!"

She yelled as Silas's cold hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her back. She didn't relent, her fist clasping the iron bar of the exposed gate as she tried to reach Annie. "If you don't find help, just- just find a _group, _people who'll take care of you!"

Becca felt something warm grab her hand as she leaned desperately though the bars. Annie was grabbing her from the other side. "Annie," she sobbed, "You don't have time."

The seven-year-old sniffed, alone on the outside. "I don't know what to do!"

Becca fought Silas's grip all the way, though he eventually prised her from the bars. "Pick a direction and run!" She screamed. The brutish Sanctum guard slapped her cheek and she fell to her knees. Catching a final glance of Annie, she yelled "**ANNIE, GO!**"

Looking up, she saw Silas standing over her. He raised his fist, muttered "You're a fucking troublemaker, aren't ya?" and slammed it into her face, knocking her cold.


	33. Running On Fumes

**Day 969 – Early Morning**

**Annie**

"**ANNIE, GO!**"

Annie winced as she saw Silas smack Becca in the face. The teenager fell limp – was she _dead?_

The seven-year-old whimpered as she saw the events transpire, thunder booming overhead. Vince and Wyatt were going quietly, being forced back into the settlement by guards. Em was being forced into the same boat, though not so quietly. Silas draped Becca over his shoulder and headed back inside, in a rush, and Kiff, poor Kiff, was lying lifeless on the floor, a red cavern where his face had once been.

Annie felt sick.

She looked back at the entrance to the settlement – the _Shaw _lady was standing there, looking at Kiff's corpse as well. "I want that child found!" She demanded. "Rumours of Sanctum cannot be permitted to escape!"

There was nothing for it but to run as Becca had told her to. Annie pressed her palms into her forehead and pulled her hands down her face, before turning and running as rain started dripping from the sky. She ducked into the brush and hugged her arms, hunching over as she attempted to escape.

She brushed her hair out of her face and found a makeshift path where the leaves were not as thick as the rest of the woods. Wiping her eyes, Annie moaned to herself and padded through the plant-life, trying not to leave any tracks or cause any fuss, knowing full well that Sanctum's guards would be searching the immediate area for her.

Annie had to find somewhere to hole up for the night. The gas station was too far, and she didn't know where it was. The suburb where they had met Bennett was also too far, as was the warehouse they'd slept in the night before they had set off for Sanctum.

There had to be _somewhere _she could hide. She would willingly run for a few hours so long as she could find her way back.

She prayed that she would find Bennett, or someone else who was kind. Not someone like Marshall or Ivan or Shaw. She would be killed on the spot, or worse.

Annie's head jerked back as she heard shouting echoing through the trees to her right. She had to get somewhere and do something useful – for Em, for Sully, for Mitchell. For Vince; the man who kept them all alive. For Wyatt; the man who had saved her life. For Becca; her best friend.

Annie pushed past some more branches and found herself on the edge of a shallow hill that led down into a wide trench. Looking down, she felt a small, tearful smile surface on her face as she recognised the familiar, ladder-like shape of train tracks.

If she followed those, she would find her way back to the house they had slept in on the way to Sanctum, and from there she would be able to clear her head and think about how she should go about getting help.

**Day 969 – Early Morning**

**Annie**

The sky was light blue, coated in clouds as Annie crept through the woods. She had no real idea of where she was now, but she was keeping close to the tracks. At some point she'd find that house because the tracks ran right by it – there couldn't be more than one train line in any one place, or so she guessed.

Since the adrenaline had worn off, Annie had become increasingly more agitated, fearful, and sad as she walked. Tear stains lingered on her face from where she had sat in a copse and cried not ten minutes ago. How she had managed to bring herself to actually get up and continue was a mystery to her; her memory was hazy and she was focused on the task at hand.

She was also caked in dirt and mud, where she'd fallen on her hands and knees in a rush, tripping over roots and mounds. Seeing a flickering light up ahead, Annie opted to inspect it further. Maybe she would find people – she'd watch them for a while before showing them she was around – that seemed to be the safest cause of action.

Gunfire rumbled in the distance, probably coming from one of Sanctum's guards, still on her trail after all this time. They were further off now, spread out and hundreds of metres away. However, it was easier for them to traverse the wilderness than it was for her; they were grown adults and she was seven, plus they knew their way home while she only had the train tracks to direct her.

Annie almost tripped again, a stitch developing down her left side. As she made her way closer to the flickering orange glow, the front of her shoe got caught in a hole and she fell flat on her face. As she hit the ground, foliage crumpled beneath her, fallen twigs snapping as she yelped.

She shot to her feet as she heard a harsh, involuntary gasp not ten metres away from her. Backing into a tree trunk, Annie froze with fear, assuming that one of Sanctum's guards was nearby.

Looking left and right, Annie's chest heaved and fell as she breathed in and out. A torch beam flashed through the trees before disappearing behind more foliage. Annie heard a rustling as someone moved around in front and to the right of her, breathing as heavily as she was.

All of a sudden the beam of light turned back in her direction and the stranger's panting paused. All that echoed through the forest was Annie's laboured gasping and the dripping of rain through the leaves.

"Is someone there?" came a voice, "S'far as I can tell, walkers don't breathe."

Annie looked to her left and right, unsure of what to do. Identifying the voice as being female, she tried to figure out how to react. "_It's a lady," _she thought, "_Have I heard her before? I might've, but she doesn't sound like she's from Sanctum."_

She paused, and took a step forwards from the tree trunk. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a valid reason to approach this person. "_All the women I've known before – Laura, Shel, Lucia, Emily, Becca. They've all been nice to me. But Shaw is mean."_

Deciding that the ratio of nice to cruel was high enough, Annie tried to figure out what to say to the person.

She didn't have time as the woman broke through the trees in front of her, taking a moment to get her bearings before noticing the seven-year-old. From what Annie could tell, half-blind in the light, the woman was spindly and brittle, her pale face smeared with dirt and mud, bags under her eyes. She was unarmed, and therefore not from Sanctum.

"Oh, look at you... you out here all alone?" The woman asked. There was something familiar in her voice, but Annie couldn't work out what. Trying to seem more threatening, Annie shook her head. "No, I have lots of friends." She replied.

"Well... mind showin' me where they are?"

Annie gulped. The woman had her cornered, so she resorted to telling the truth. "I can't. They're stuck... trapped. I need help."

The woman took a step closer, shifting her beam away from Annie's face. "Trapped?" She asked.

"In this bad place. They're stuck and I need help getting them out. It's called... _Sanntum _or something." Annie felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Please, you need to help me, I'm all alone out here and I don't know what to do and there are bad people chasing after me!"

"Wait, Sanctum?! That's where I was headed – are you sayin' it's bad?"

Annie nodded. "Y-yeah."

"And you've been alone all this time?" The woman sounded frightened, more for Annie than herself.

"Yeah."

"Well, I uh... I guess we're alone together. I used to be with some guys too, but we made some bad choices. I can't promise I'll be able to help you get your friends back, but I can't leave ya out here on your own, either." The woman crouched down in front of Annie and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I ain't really got much to live for... right now, so I'll help you. What's your name?"

Annie paused, still skeptical, but introduced herself anyway. "I'm Annie."

"Nice to meet ya, Annie," the woman greeted, her long face twisting into a smile. "Name's Bonnie."

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED<strong>

**NEXT TIME ON INTO THE FRAY:**

"If you hadn't run off when you did, _**this **_wouldn't have happened to me!"

* * *

><p>"I can only talk for a minute – stay quiet and listen to what I have to say."<p>

* * *

><p>"Seems like we've got ourselves a guardian angel looking out for us."<p>

* * *

><p>"If we don't end up leaving quietly, I guess we'll just have to kill 'em all."<p> 


	34. EPISODE FOUR - PLAYING WITH FIRE

**Day 969 – Morning**

**Annie**

The familiar stranger named Bonnie led Annie through the woods and into the back yard of the house she had stayed in not five days earlier. Annie felt a surge of nostalgia as she walked inside, well aware that the rooms had once been home to her group as they made their way to Sanctum.

Bonnie led her into the front room and the seven-year-old perched on the couch as her new ally sat opposite her – on the same chair Silas had sat in days ago. Annie had managed to get a better look at her new found friend in the morning light; she had rich, red hair, darker than that of Em or Kiff, along with a faded green jacket and a collared, flannel shirt beneath it. Her legs were wrapped in filthy, stained jeans and she had brown boots that made their way to the middle of her shins.

"We were here before," Annie admitted, looking around, "Were you following us?"

Bonnie shook her head and answered in her thick, southern accent. "I wasn't... followin'. I was wonderin' around for a... a long time. Wasn't on my own for all of it but I went my own separate way a while ago. Headed for Wellington but I wasn't let in."

"We tried there too." Annie told her. "It didn't work for us either."

"Nah, didn't work for nobody apart from the lucky ones." Bonnie frowned, trying to look resentful, but failed. "I ain't one of the lucky ones. Not that I deserve to be." She took a deep breath and looked back at Annie with her piercing blue eyes. "Anyway, I was wonderin' from there for a long time, 'till I met this guy on the road not three days ago. He said that I looked 'worn out' and he even gave me some stuff... then pointed me in the direction of Sanctum."

"Sanctum isn't safe." Annie told her firmly.

Bonnie leaned forwards in her seat, cupping her hands together as she rested her thin elbows on her knees. "What exactly do they... do there? If I get a better idea of what they do I can at least help you a little bit. Start from the beginnin'."

Annie sighed before reciting what had happened in Sanctum. "We went in and it all seemed okay. They gave us jobs to do and we did them for a day and a half before they said we had to meet their leader. Everyone else went before me. When it was my turn I found out it was a lady – she was kind of mean and wrote down my name and my age and my hometown and gave me water to drink but it made my head go all funny and I fainted."

Bonnie gasped. "They _drugged _you? They _drugged _a little girl?!"

"Yes, I think so." Annie nodded. "Then when I woke up I was in a hospital place and my group found me and we all tried to get out but Kiff only managed to get me through the fence before they killed him."

"Did they... cut you open or anything?"

Annie shook her head but rolled up her left sleeve to reveal where the IV tube had been pushed into her arm. Wincing, she realised she had forgotten about the burn scars on her arm and pulled her sleeve back down straight away.

"What was that?!" Bonnie asked, lifting herself out of her chair slightly. Annie jerked back and felt tears forming in her eyes. She hadn't meant to show the woman her scars, only where the tube had been pushed into her arm. "It's okay, Annie, it's okay," Bonnie reassured her. "I ain't one to judge – we've all got stuff we... don't wanna remember. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

The woman pulled up her own sleeve and showed Annie several marks beneath and around the pit of her elbow. "Lucky I kicked the stuff, to be honest." She smirked. "It's all right. Ain't nobody gonna judge you here."

Annie held back a lump in her throat as she pulled back her sleeve again. The burn scars were not really the main attraction – the IV tube had not exactly been handled delicately and the tearing of her skin had ended up caking her forearm with blood. It was dried and brown – she couldn't simply rub it off.

"Oh, you need some water for that." Bonnie sighed, inspecting it. "Don't worry, I left some jugs outside to catch the rain. I can boil it so that it's clean, then we can clear ourselves up."

Annie nodded as Bonnie pushed herself to her feet. "I need you to stick close to me," the woman said, "If people are looking for you they might seize their chance while I'm gone."

The seven-year-old hopped to her feet and trailed Bonnie out into the back garden. Setting foot on the damp grass she saw numerous pots and jugs sitting throughout the yard in various locations, all filled to the brim with rainwater. Bonnie knelt down to grab a jug but backed up as something rustled in the trees ahead of her.

"Back, _back!" _she hissed, pushing Annie back into the house. When they were in the doorway Bonnie retrieved a pistol from the inside pocked of her jacket and pointed it towards the trees. The woman gritted her teeth as she aimed dead ahead, waiting for a human or a walker to surface. "They might be a good shot, but I'm better."

All of a sudden, the rustling stopped. Bonnie's eyes narrowed, not letting her guard down. Suddenly something shot out of the bushes and landed in the mud, taking them by surprise.

They paused, trying to get a better look at whatever had been thrown into the yard. Bonnie edged forward, keeping in mind that the stranger was only a few feet from their position. Annie jolted back as the shuffling in the bushes started again, moving away from them this time. Bonnie studied the foliage, waiting for the sound to disappear into the distance before reaching for the object the person had thrown.

Annie backed up as Bonnie returned to the house, shaking the mud from the object and closing the door behind her.

"What is it?" Annie asked, studying the black cuboid as Bonnie frowned at it.

"It's a... radio." Bonnie determined. "There's something written on the back, too... '_Here to help'. _I don't know about you but I think we might have a guardian angel lookin' out for us."

"They might be lying," Annie mumbled, "They might be trying to hurt us by _saying _they're good."

Bonnie rested a hand on her hip. "We don't really have much else to go on, but let's not call up whoever's on the other side. If they are trying to help we don't want to get 'em noticed."

"What do we do until then?"

Bonnie sighed. "I'll get the water in, so long as you have my back." She handed Annie her pistol, but the girl looked up at her, confused. "What is it?"

Annie held the gun in her palms like it was something she had never seen before. "I don't know how to... do this."

"You can't shoot? In all these years I ain't met a kid that can't shoot." Bonnie shrugged. "No matter, I'll just have to teach ya, won't I? Might come in handy later down the line." She took the gun back from Annie's hands and reached into her pack, retrieving a different pistol. "This one ain't loaded. I don't have the ammo to waste, so we're gonna have to pretend."

The woman gave Annie the gun back and adjusted the child's fingers until her hands were positioned correctly. "Look, point it at the door." She commanded. Annie turned and pointed the gun at the door, holding her arms out straight. "You don't want to do that," Bonnie said, grabbing Annie's elbows and bending her arms slightly. "Okay, make sure your feet are in line with your shoulders and you're balanced properly." Bonnie rested her hands on Annie's shoulders. "You pretend to shoot and I'll shake you a bit so you kinda know what it's like to fire."

Annie put her finger over the trigger as Bonnie counted down, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the door to the house. "Three... Two... One..."

She squeezed the trigger and Bonnie shook her shoulders violently, yelling "BANG!"

Annie flinched, leaning forward and bringing her shoulders up to her head. "Why did you do that?!" She cried.

Bonnie chuckled. "That's so you know how loud it is. This is no cakewalk, it's kinda loud when you fire a gun."

Annie's ears were still ringing even though she hadn't actually fired the weapon. "You're mean." She complained.

"I didn't mean nothin' by it," Bonnie smiled, crouching so that her eyes were level with Annie's. "I might be mean but I'm all you've got right now. For once, I might actually save someone instead of gettin' 'em hurt. That's happened... too many times."

Annie's face tightened as she squinted at the woman. As random strangers went, Bonnie was probably the best person to run into aside from Bennett, but clearly she had done things she wasn't proud of. Then again, who hadn't three years into the apocalypse?


	35. Rise And Shine

**Day 969 – Morning**

**Vince**

Vince winced in pain as he pushed himself off of a cold, linoleum floor. The taste of blood filled his mouth and caused him to spit into the puddle that had formed around his head while he was unconscious. Before he knew what was happening, someone grappled his shoulder and flipped him over onto his back. Assuming the figure was Silas or one of the other guards, Vince grunted as a heavy fist connected with the side of his head.

"Wakey, wakey, rise and shine, motherfucker!"

Vince recognised the voice. He lifted his hands to spare himself from the torment and his attacker soon gave up, letting go of his jacket. He collapsed to the floor with a thud, winded. Looking up, Vince grunted as his hands found their way to his injured face and came back wet with blood, identifying the man who stood over him. He wore a tan fleece jacket and had receding black hair. Where he had once owned an awkward chinstrap beard, he now possessed a fuller mess of hair covering the lower half of his head. Vince could barely make out his nose or eyes, but he knew by now that this was one of the guards from Carver's old camp, Howe's.

"Recognise me now, do you?" Tyler growled pulling back his hand to attack again. Before he fired another punch he hesitated, instead letting his arm fall loose. "You weren't operated on. Guess you got lucky _again!" _He gritted his teeth and led his fist loose, knocking Vince flat once more.

As he attempted to crawl away, Vince caught sight of Tyler's face. As he reeled back in horror Tyler growled. "Take a good look, Vince. If you and the others hadn't run off with the truck when you did, we wouldn't have ended up left behind to deal with the walkers as the place went down. Me and Lowell and Stan wouldn't have starved for months and we wouldn't have come to this fucking settlement!" He leaned forward and showed Vince his face. "If you hadn't run off when you did, _**this **_wouldn't have happened to me!"

Tyler's left eye was sealed shut, the eyelids pressed together, his skin purplish and scratched up. "They did the whole 'ooh, work duty, ooh, reinforce the perimeter' spiel, then that _bitch _Shaw drugged us and they **cut my fucking eye out of my head. **And it itches so fucking bad. So fucking bad, man. I don't have anything under there. Nothing but... anger, I guess." He kicked Vince in the stomach. "This is all your goddamn fault. This is your fault they fucking killed Stan on the spot and cut him up for their fucking junior science fair."

"Tyler, that's enough!" The man was restrained by an African-American woman with shaggy hair. Vince noticed that the newcomer's movement was restricted by a crutch; she was missing her right leg below the knee. "Let him be."

"Fuck off." Tyler grunted. "This is all his fault. If he hadn't left us behind then we wouldn't be here."

"But he's here now. You would've ended up here if you went with him, too. It's _your _fault you followed me after I escaped. You saw this place and thought 'Oh, that woman's just insane because this place is an insane asylum' when in fact I was the first person to go under the knife, courtesy of these ass holes."

Vince groaned in pain as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The woman shoved Tyler away and offered a hand to help Vince up. "Where the hell are we?" He asked.

"Right in the belly of the beast." the woman explained. "The slap-bang centre of Sanctum. The name's Tessa- I appreciate you asking." Now that Vince looked further, he noticed numerous scars across the woman's arms. Catching him eyeing her injuries, the woman sighed. "They needed plenty of samples, so I drew the short straw. My arms aren't what they used to be. Oh, and I'm missing a leg. I didn't even get the worst of it."

Vince looked at Tyler for a moment. The man was sitting on a crate, glaring at him as Tessa explained Tyler's story. "They came in with an old man called Stan, as you heard. He got drugged by Shaw and never woke up." Tessa informed him. Vince looked away as she was speaking, remembering what had transpired.

"Wait... w-w-w-wait." He muttered, hurriedly, scanning the room. There were no windows, only a single door, concrete walls, and it was all lit by a dim light bulb. "Where are the others? My friends?"

A man staggered out of the shadows to answer. "They're in here. In the corners. In the dark." Vince identified the hoarse, gravelly voice as Lowell, but his appearance was depressing – even more so than Tyler's. He had thick bags under his eyes, an even thicker beard and his left sleeve was tied in a knot so that it didn't hang loosely. In coming to Sanctum, Lowell had sacrificed his left arm. "Now I know how Reggie felt." the man smirked, erupting into a series of coughs. "B-but yeah, your lot are knocking about. Not sure where Shel and Russell are and I'm not sure who the red-headed chick is, but they're all here."

Vince looked around the room again. In the shadows he could make out faint, human forms and tuning into the background noise of the room, he could hear someone crying - probably Emily. He staggered over to the source of the noise and found the woman sitting in the corner, weeping into her sleeves.

Vince almost asked if she was okay – of course she wasn't. Everyone she knew was gone; Fuad was dead, Sully and Mitchell were still in hospital beds, ready to be operated on and her dear Uncle Kiff had been brutally executed by Silas.

Not knowing what to say, Vince sighed and walked away, sitting on a crate next to Becca. The teenager was staring at the ground, Wyatt a couple of feet away. "Bec," Vince asked, "You okay?"

"Annie's gone." Becca mumbled, her voice drained of emotion. "She's gone."

Wyatt growled. "You've got no right to be sad - it's _your _fault, dude. _You _sent her out there with no help." He gritted his teeth. "You always were reckless. You were always stupid, but sending a seven-year-old out there on her own? We're lucky if she _dies."_

"Cool it," Vince warned. "This isn't Becca's fault."

"Of _course _it is!" Wyatt yelled. "She should have accepted defeat and not tried anything stupid! At least Annie would be here with us instead of out there, scared and alone. _What's _she gonna accomplish out there? Nothing!" His voice fell to a whisper. "This is all the stupid fantasy of a teenager, and I'm not having it. She's killed Annie, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm fucking _done _hauling her around everywhere we go. She's a fucking write-off, Vince."

"I can hear you," Becca snarled.

"I don't care if you can hear." Wyatt whispered. "You're fucked in the head, man. Who in their right mind thinks 'let's get a kid out of the wall – alone!' Let's list what that achieved: One – Annie's death, Two – _NOTHING FUCKING ELSE!_"

"You should have told those bandits you shot their friend all those months ago," Becca growled, "They should have shot you when they had the chance and spared Miles, Russell, Daniel and Lucia."

"Calm the fuck down!" Vince bellowed. "We need to figure out what's going _on _here! We need to work together to get out of here!"

"No way I'm working with that bitch." Wyatt spat. "She'll only get another one of us killed. It's killing_ me _that Annie's dead and she's alive. She's a lost cause, dude."

Vince pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you keep going on like this, you'll be a lost cause."

The squabble was interrupted by a scraping noise as the door at the end of the room was pushed open and two figures were shoved inside. The duo were obscured by darkness but Vince recognised them by voice when one of them shouted "Fucking assholes!" as the door closed behind them.

Vince heard a gasp from Em's direction as the newcomers staggered into the centre of the room. The red-headed woman staggered towards them and the taller of the two noticed the tears running down her face. He bent his knees slightly to make up for the height difference and made eye contact with Em before speaking to her.

"Hey," Sully said soothingly. "You didn't make it out either?"

In response Em wrapped her arms around her friend and buried her face in his chest. Sully hesitated for a second before relaxing and returning the embrace, giving Vince a look of confusion.

"Kiff." Vince muttered. "They killed him. Annie got out, but... she's on her own."

Sully sucked air through his teeth as he stroked the back of Em's head. "We tried getting out too, but I guess they were expecting us after you all tried getting out. You _did _try to find us, right?"

"Yeah," Vince lied. "We were gonna get you but they were crawling all over the place. I was gonna come back for you once I got the rest out but things...didn't go to plan."

"And now we're stuck in here." Sully finished, looking at his brother from the middle of the room. "Two down, six to go."


	36. Not Giving Up

**Day 969 – Midday**

**Wyatt**

They had been sitting in silence for hours. Time was ticking over and they were doing nothing about it.

Vince had lost almost all of his motivation. He sat on a crate, only speaking up when someone started to argue. Tyler and Tessa were sleeping in separate corners of the room while the one-armed figure of Lowell paced back and forth in the darkness.

Mitchell was sitting on the opposite side of the room to Wyatt, staring at the floor in anger, probably desperate to find a way out while his older brother had his arm around Em's shoulder, staring at the back wall of the room as the woman buried her face in his chest.

Wyatt couldn't even bring himself to look at Becca. She had called Annie her best friend, even an adoptive sibling on some occasions, but she had thrown the child's life away by forcing her to escape with no help. Wyatt didn't know what that was, but it wasn't friendship.

"_No wonder she didn't have any friends back at Carver's place," _he thought vindictively, _"Thinking she knows better than everyone else, thinking she can just send out a kid on her own."_

Wyatt's face fell into his palms. He had sworn to protect Annie but where had he been when they were caught?

Giving up. He had been giving up.

Even if she had been a complete idiot, at least Becca had done something. At least she hadn't just given up at the last hurdle. Then again, Kiff had done the same and had ended up with nothing to show for it but a collapsed face and a grieving niece.

"Any ideas yet?" Sully droned, his voice void of emotion. "Are we just gonna sit here or do we have to do something?" He didn't seem enthused by the prospect of fighting back, judging by how well it had gone last time.

"I'm just gonna sit here and wait to die, I think." Mitchell grunted. "I'm done. I give up." The teenager found a clear spot by the wall and collapsed into a sleeping position. "Call me when we're all dead."

"You've been in here for a couple of hours and you've already given up." Lowell stated. "I'm still not broken and I've been here for almost two months. _And _I'm missing an arm.

Wyatt was stumped. "Why did they even cut your arm off, dude?"

Lowell shrugged. "Fuckin' idiots spent the whole time cooped up in their little fortress. They cut my arm off, tried to make it 'turn into a lurker' before they realised that it was the brain that keeps the dead active. It was a waste of an arm. Didn't stop 'em cutting it up to test other crap on it, though."

"Damn." Wyatt wheezed. "Guess we got lucky."

"Looks like the kid didn't," Lowell said, looking at Becca's right hand. "Didn't think these folks were the type to just cut off fingers – usually it's all or nothin'."

"I got bit." Becca grunted. "It was months ago, after Shel died. Vince cut my hand in half and saved me."

"Shel's dead?" Lowell's eyebrows raised. "Damn. I guess Russell, too, huh?"

Wyatt nodded. "We're all that's left from Howe's."

"Apart from the folks who were in the pen," Tyler called, "They made it out too, s'far as I can tell."

"Assholes didn't deserve it." Lowell grunted. "Never found Bonnie, either. She didn't show up on the roof to shoot the herd."

"Bonnie's gone as well?" Wyatt sighed, dejected. "Guess no one really made it out of there. Just us and the prisoners."

"Dunno, maybe Carver and Troy got out too. Never saw them, they probably went after the prisoners." Lowell suggested, raising his remaining hand only to rest it back on his opposite shoulder.

"Both dead." Wyatt grunted. "Carver's face was caved in, Troy was a walker when we found him. Surprisingly, Becca made herself _useful _for once and took him out before he could kill Vince."

"Never liked Troy anyway." Lowell smirked. "Asshole got what was comin' to him."

Wyatt pushed himself to his feet. "We need to get out of here, man. There's someone on the outside who needs us."

"Ain't no way out, man. We've tried everything – waited for 'em to pass our food through and forced our way out but without weapons we've got nothing."

Wyatt rubbed his brow. If there was a way in, there was a way out. "There's nine of us now, dude. We've got way more strength than just a one-eyed guy, a one-armed guy and a woman with one leg – no offense."

"None taken." Tessa called. "It's how it is."

"Anyway," Wyatt continued, pacing back and forth in the dimly lit room, "Who usually gives you guys the food?"

"Hard to tell." Lowell replied. "They open the door a little bit and chuck it in, but they make sure none of us are close enough to the door to jump through the gap. A while later they come back and ask for the leftovers."

"Well, that rules out that 'Hector' guy." Sully muttered from the other side of the room. "He doesn't ask for anything. Asshole probably can't even talk. Wouldn't be surprised if Sanctum cut his tongue out."

"Fuck it." Wyatt decided, folding his arms. "I'm just gonna go for it and bum rush whoever opens that door next. I've gotta get out there and find my girl."

Lowell scoffed. "You're doing this all for your woman? Just wait it out for a better chance – you'll only get killed this way."

"Not his _woman." _Sully informed him, "He's got a little kid out there that he's looking after. Didn't you hear them saying so earlier?"

Lowell turned to face the door. "I wasn't really listening. Anyway, food should be here in a couple of hours. You're welcome to try your elaborate plan then, so long as I get fed."

Wyatt smirked. Back at Howe's, he had never liked Lowell – the man had been pushy and arrogant, but now Wyatt could see that it came from stress due to the power he had as one of the more esteemed guards at the place. Now that his power had been stripped from him, he was a lot more approachable and likable.

He turned to look at the other members of the group. "Anyone else wanna help with this or am I on my own?"

Lowell was already out, along with Tessa and Tyler. They apparently knew better than to try escaping. Wyatt looked to Sully, but the man solemnly shook his head as he supported Em. Mitchell didn't even look at him, facing the wall as he lay on the ground. Wyatt didn't even consider Becca – right now he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her.

"Vince?" he asked. "You in?"

Vince took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head. "I'll wait until there are better odds."

Wyatt huffed. The rest had given up hope and he was on the edge of doing so, but he wouldn't, because there was still the possibility that Annie had _not _died due to Becca's reckless actions. He had to keep going for her, because right now she was cold, scared, and alone in the wilderness. He'd find her, and he'd be damned if he didn't kill anyone who got in his way.


	37. Call To Attention

**Day 969 – Midday**

**Annie**

After bringing in the water, Bonnie and Annie sat in the front room of the house, waiting with bated breath for the radio to send them a message and find out who was on the other side.

Bonnie's eyes studied the filthy device fiercely as it sat on the coffee table between them. Annie assumed that the woman was taking in the controls so that she knew what to do when someone started talking.

The seven-year-old was trapped deep in thought, wondering what state Wyatt and the others were in. Had the Sanctum guards killed them? No, Vince and Wyatt had surrendered. They had knocked Becca unconscious but if they were planning to kill her Annie was sure they would have done it while she was around.

Bonnie had helped Annie wash the blood from her arm, not judging her scars or even looking twice at them after initially spotting them. Annie was thankful that Bonnie understood her need to hide them and the shame that she went through if anyone saw them. She knew that Becca and Wyatt didn't _want _to judge but she also recognised that they couldn't help it.

Bonnie ran a hand through her straw-like red hair and picked up the radio. _"Here to help." _she muttered, reading the mud-stained note taped to the back of the device in her thick, southern accent. The lettering was smudged by rainwater, causing the ink to flood and create faded patterns on the paper. "Hopefully they ain't lyin'." The woman got to her feet and placed the radio back on the coffee table. "I've got some food if you're hungry. You want some?"

Annie nodded. "I'll have anything."

"All right." The woman headed into the kitchen of the house to retrieve a backpack filled with her food. As she disappeared Annie heard a high-pitched whine that started getting lower and lower. She could not work out where it was coming from and jumped back when the radio emitted a popping noise. "Bonnie!" she called. "The radio is going off!"

The woman dropped what she was doing and ran into the front room, grabbing the walkie talkie and holding it aloft. She did not speak, waiting for the person on the other end to get to a safe position and talk first.

"H-Hello?" Came a voice on the other end – male, generic and indistinguishable as well as slightly panicked. "Anybody home?"

Bonnie pressed a button on the two-way radio and spoke into it. "Who is this?"

As she released the button, the man on the other end hesitated. "You're crackling a bit. Who I am isn't important. You have the girl, right?"

"Yup."

"Get her to say something – I need to be sure."

Bonnie pointed the radio at Annie and held down the button, whispering "_Say something."_

Annie paused for a moment, and then muttered. "...Hello?"

"Good. You _do _have her."

Bonnie's brow furrowed. "What do you want with us – with her?"

"Listen, don't talk. I don't have a whole lot of time." The man told her. "I've been watching Sanctum for a hell of a long time now. I know what they are, and I know what they do to people. They don't know me, but I know them, and I know they're not going the right way about things. What I'm gonna do is take these fuckers down, but I can't do it alone. I'm gonna try and get the guys on the inside out of there, but I need to get them to trust me – and for that I need the kid's name. I don't know if it'll work, but if I can get close enough to them without anyone knowing then I can damn well try."

"How are you gonna get in there?" Bonnie asked. "I can only assume that the place is locked down tight.""

"I've been spying on the place for months, I know their routines. They don't even know I'm here." the man answered, not entirely convinced himself. "Give the radio back to the kid, and get her to tell me her name."

Bonnie pointed the walkie-talkie back at Annie. "Just give him your name."

"Annie." The seven-year-old announced confidently.

"Shit, that ain't gonna work. The place keeps track of names, anyone with the right information would know your name. Listen, kid, I need something only your friends would know. Something you didn't get from Sanctum."

Annie stuttered, trying to figure something out. Bonnie gestured to her forearms but Annie shook her head violently, not wanting to tell the man on the radio about her scars. Sanctum probably already knew about that, too, so she needed to give them something else. She reached up to scratch her head and then smirked when realisation passed through her mind.

"Anything..?" the man asked. "I'm pressed for time."

"My hat." Annie told him. "A man called Daniel gave it to me after he was stabbed by a bandit."

She could almost sense that the man was grinning on the other side of the radio. "Good work," he told her. "Hat – Daniel – Stabbed – Bandit. Making a note of it now." He hesitated. "You should probably make your way back to the settlement. I'm watching them and I know that they've given up the search for you, so you might be safe in the general area so long as you keep quiet and hide. There's a farmhouse not too far from the place, east of the front gates of Sanctum – I'll meet you there and tell you how things went with sneaking in and talking to your friends. And for the love of God, don't approach the place from the front, their guy on the gate will spot you a mile away. Take the woods."

"Okay." Annie replied. The radio cut off with the same high-pitched whine it had started with and they were left in silence. Bonnie rested the device on the table and sat back down in her chair. "Do you trust him?" She questioned.

"I... I think so." Annie stuttered. "But what can we do in case he's bad?"

Bonnie raised her pistol. "I think this is our only way. We'll need to keep an eye out, too."

"When should we go to that farmhouse?"

"Now." Bonnie commanded. "Hopefully we'll get there before he does, then we'll be in control." The woman darted into the kitchen to grab her backpack. "You keep hold of the radio, I'll take all the heavy stuff." The sight of such a large backpack over such a skinny woman's shoulders was almost comical, but Annie was too concerned about her friends to joke about it – plus she didn't joke about other people, because she thought it to be rude.

She followed Bonnie to the front door, holding the radio tightly, and they walked out of the house onto the dirt path. "Do you know the way?" Bonnie asked.

Annie nodded. "We just need to follow the train tracks that way." She pointed to the right. "It's about an hour away but it took me longer to get here from _there _because I kept going in circles."

"You don't need to worry about that no more," Bonnie told her, "I'll make sure you get there in time."

"I'm glad they're not coming after us any more." Annie sighed, relieved. "It was scary because I could hear them getting really close sometimes, and I'd hide and they'd run right past me."

"It's okay," Bonnie said soothingly, "You've got me now. Anyone gets in our way, I'll... I'll... _pop _'em."

Annie squinted at Bonnie, knowing that she was trying to sound 'cool'. "Killing people isn't good." She said, "We should just hide. The only people you should kill is the dead ones because there's no saving them."

"Well, aren't you a paragon of virtue?" Bonnie smirked.

Annie was puzzled. "A pentagon of what?"

"I didn't think you'd understand," Bonnie told her, "It just means that you're a good person... I think. Truth be told, I don't really know what it is either. Someone I used to know said it a lot – he was pretty old, had grey hair and a mustache and he kinda lost it towards the end. Always spoutin' big words like that."

"I think I used to know someone like that, too." Annie told her.

Bonnie sighed as they set off down the train tracks. "Let's not dwell on the past, huh? Let's just focus on finding out who our guardian angel is and whether he can get your friends out."

"Okay. That sounds good to me."


	38. Pulling A Stunt

**Day 969 – Afternoon**

**Becca**

Becca was lying on her back on the hard concrete floor, attempting to work out what the room had originally been used for. She doubted that whoever had worked here before the world ended put patients in there. It was probably used for storage or something, just a big, cold cube in the centre of the settlement – not a bad place to store Sanctum's prisoners at all.

The entire right side of her face ached where Silas had clouted her. She couldn't tell, but she was sure that there would be one hell of a bruise – he had not drawn blood, however, because she couldn't feel any fluid when she touched it.

Following their escape, the group had fallen apart. Emily had become a wreck following her Uncle's death and Sully's only interest was helping her through it, Mitchell had given up on life, though nothing was new there and Vince was currently staring into space, not doing much at all.

She had been surprised to find Tyler and Lowell trapped in this place, too, though Tyler was overly aggressive and Lowell was too relaxed. Tyler had been punching Vince while the man was unconscious and Becca had not even had the energy to stop him.

Wyatt was waiting by the door to take out whoever was on the other side when it opened. Becca was trying to stay away from him because he hated her guts; he didn't understand that she had saved Annie from an unknown fate in Sanctum and had given her a chance on the outside. With any luck she'd follow the road back the way they came and find Bennett or someone who would take care of her, because Becca would probably never see her again.

Truth be told, Becca doubted that they'd ever escape the place. This was probably the end for them.

"_Any moment now they'll come back and put us back in that hospital, and make sure we never wake up."_ She thought. _"We're not getting out of here."_

Looking at Vince, she could tell that he was thinking the same thing. If an escape route was presented to them she wasn't even sure if they would take it; none of them seemed very motivated to do so, aside from Wyatt.

She was surprised that Tessa, the woman that had been in here the longest, had not gone completely insane. There was nothing to do, nothing to look forward to and the woman had been in there for months. Apparently she'd escaped once, only to be brought back by Sonja and Curtis so that they could test things on her to work towards a cure, but not before they removed one of her legs to stop her running away.

Becca scoffed. A cure? Yeah, right. Everyone knew that the virus couldn't be cured. It was something humanity would be stuck with for the rest of its existence. It couldn't be stopped, it couldn't be controlled and it certainly couldn't be cured.

The door to the room shunted slightly, causing everyone to look up and see the heavy partition being pushed open a couple of inches. Wyatt remained silent, waiting on one side, and then darted round, grabbing the person on the other side by the shirt and dragging them in.

He slammed the man known as Phil against the wall, causing him to drop the food he had been carrying onto the floor. A heavy fist slammed into the guard's face as Becca noticed that he was unarmed.

Wyatt snarled. "Get us out of here!"

In response Phil grabbed something from behind his back and screamed into it "Emergency! Emergency!"

Wyatt punched him again but the sounds of footsteps outside were already gaining in volume. Before long, Silas slammed the door open, followed by Hector, and smacked Wyatt in the face with the stock of his rifle. "Get back!" He yelled.

Wyatt fell onto the floor and his glasses rattled across the ground as Silas pushed Phil out of the room. Hector watched the spectacle, simply shaking his head and scowling.

Tyler had already crawled over to where the food had fallen and was claiming it for his own, chucking a few bits and pieces to Lowell and Tessa.

"I'm surprised the natives didn't tell you not to try that." Silas growled, looking at the three prisoners who had been in there for much longer than any of Becca's group. "Pull a stunt like that again, beardy, and your brain'll be spilled across the floor, just like the fat fuck from last night." At his comment, Em shuddered uncontrollably and erupted into a flood of tears again.

"Hey!" Sully grunted through gritted teeth. "Have some fucking _respect, _that's my friend's Uncle you're talking about."

Silas grimaced as he pulled the door closed. "People die, she'd better get used to that. Just keep in mind that if you didn't try to run off things would've gone a lot easier for you here."

With that, the door clanged shut.

After a moment of silence, Tyler spoke with a mouth full of food. "See, I told you it was a bad idea."

"How'd he get here so fast?" Sully asked, referring to Silas's prompt appearance.

"He was only down the hall." Lowell explained. "We tried doing what Wyatt did once and they ended up getting wise to it. Now they send an unarmed guy in and position an armed person at the end of the corridor just in case they need back up. That means they can pick us off _and _we can't get a weapon off of the first person in the room."

"Well, how do we get out?"

Lowell sighed. "This is a _prison_, genius. There _is _no 'getting out'." He massaged his forehead with his remaining hand.

"I guess our only hope is Annie." Sully admitted. "If she got out, maybe she can find help."

"Don't count on it." Tyler grunted. "Little kid out there? Probably got ate by now."

Wyatt shot up. "Dude, you'd better shut up before I _make _you shut up."

Tyler grinned. "Just tellin' it like it is. You wanna make me shut up? I might only have one eye, friend, but I'll still take you down, you four-eyed fuck."

Wyatt threw a punch and caught Tyler in the chin. The one-eyed man sprawled to the side before throwing himself back up and kneeing Wyatt in the groin. The bearded man collapsed to the floor, writing in pain as Tyler slugged him in the face again. "I said I'd do it! I said I'd take you down with one eye, and I did!"

Lowell pulled his friend back, "Man, cool it. The bad guys are out there, not in here."

"He was asking for it." Tyler grunted. "Been in here for two months and I've been itching for a fight."

"You never used to be like this. What happened to you, man?"

Tyler was breathing heavily. "What happened is that these assholes killed Stan and cut my fucking eye out, and it itches all day, every day and I _scratch and scratch and scratch and scratch _but it doesn't fucking go away and it makes me angry and I have to take it out on... on _him!_" He pointed a finger at Wyatt and kicked the man in the stomach again.

Lowell scowled and then looked at the rest of the group. "Yeah, okay, I don't know about you folks, but I'm with Wyatt; getting out of here or die trying. I can't stay in here with Tyler turning into... this."

Becca sighed. Maybe getting out was in her best interest, too. She'd sent Annie out there to give her a second chance and Wyatt hadn't given up on the girl yet though he was definitely dreading her possible demise. "All right," she groaned, her voice hoarse. "I'm getting out too, because Annie being out there is my problem."

Wyatt gave her a stern look through the corner of his eye and then looked away, not replying. No one else followed in her footsteps but she assumed that they would come around when or if they came up with a good enough plan. "What do we do – how do we plan to get out?" She asked.

Lowell shrugged. "Pretty sure I've thought of everything by now, but you newcomers might think of something new." He leaned against the wall, his muscles relaxing. "Everyone keep thinking."

Becca sat down on a crate and looked at the heavy door at the end of the room. There had to be a blind spot in the guards' patrol or a weak point in the wall. There had to be something. There had to be.


	39. Back On Track

**Day 969 – Afternoon**

**Annie**

Annie and her companion had spent a long two hours making their way back to Sanctum, ensuring that they kept out of sight and avoided the front entrance. The fortress itself was only visible for a few minutes as they crept through the forests that surrounded it and headed for the farmhouse which was around a mile or so away.

The woods opened out onto a series of overgrown fields which were fenced off. A dirt path ran up to the house, which presumably had no upstairs judging by the height. A barn was just off to the side of the building, the red paint flaking and worn.

Annie heard a familiar high-pitched whine from the radio in her hand. She raised the device and Bonnie's eyes widened as she crouched slightly to take it from her.

The mystery man's voice rumbled through the speaker, surrounded by static. "Hello?" he asked.

"Howdy." Bonnie greeted, a hint of distrust in her voice.

"You at the farmhouse?"

Bonnie hesitated. "Yeah."

"Well, I can't meet you there tonight." An irritable growl emanated from his throat. "Your friends got into more trouble which means I can't help them out. I'll try again tomorrow."

"Are they okay?" Annie blurted, neglecting to realise that Bonnie was not transmitting as she spoke. The woman pressed the button and repeated the question. "Are they all there? All safe?"

"I didn't get... close enough. Guards were clogging the place." The man paused. "I was outside. Listening in."

"Okay, where are you now?"

They briefly heard a scratching noise. "I'm, uh, in their stockroom. Don't worry, I've been in here for days and they haven't found me. I know what I'm doing. Hole up in the farm house, I'll give you instructions tomorrow morning because I need help getting them out anyway. I left you some gear."

Before Bonnie could prepare an answer, the radio cut out with a fuzz. She offered Annie a brief, concerned look and then picked up the pace, advancing on the house just ahead of them.

Annie followed Bonnie up the wooden steps, underneath a roof which was held up by four wooden supports. The adult turned the doorknob and found that it had been left unlocked. "Looks like he _has _been here." She muttered.

They walked inside, admiring the high ceilings and large doorways as they made their way to the back of the house, where the kitchen looked out onto the yard, the barn also visible just outside.

"Holy..." Bonnie gasped. Annie turned and saw the woman lifting a hefty assault rifle. "He left this for us."

"How do you know?" Annie asked.

"Well, he said he left us some gear. And I guess this is for you." She presented Annie with a 9mm pistol and the seven-year-old took it gingerly.

Annie gulped. "Are you sure I can use this?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, but you might need to use it if someone gets in trouble. Make every shot count. If anyone from Sanctum tries to hurt your friends, then you don't need to hit 'em in the head like you do with a walker. Just go for the body or the back, okay?"

"I won't use it unless I really need to." Annie informed her. Bonnie nodded respectfully and patted her on the shoulder. "You're only a kid, that's all I can expect from ya. Took me a long time to figure that out."

Annie's brow creased as she tried to make sense of Bonnie's words. They had known each other for just over half a day, which was hardly a 'long time'.

"What do we do now?" She asked, hoping that the woman would have all the right answers. Vince usually had the right answers, as did Wyatt, and Becca always told her what she needed to know. Hopefully Bonnie was no different.

"I'm not sure." Bonnie replied, causing Annie's face to fall. "I guess we just wait until he gives us more instructions. Sounds like he might need some help creating an exit, or at least some cover on the outside. I guess you can get some rest for now, he might be a while."

Annie nodded and turned to scour the house for a room to sleep in. She found the front room and collapsed on the sofa, the peak of her cap colliding with the cushioning quite harshly. She reached up and removed the hat before putting it on a set of drawers behind her head.

Things seemed pretty hopeful. Maybe they _would_ be able to get the group out and safe.

She wanted to know what the mysterious radio man's motivation was for saving the group. Maybe Sanctum had other people trapped in there too and he wanted to help them out. Annie hadn't noticed anyone else but her group and the guards while they had been 'free' in Sanctum, which irked her now that she looked back on it. Why hadn't they noticed that there were no other civilians? Surely they should have noticed.

No doubt Silas would have spun another convincing lie that the group would have believed. Even though they had been so skeptical, they had still let their guard down and fallen into the trap. After Sanctum, Annie wasn't sure if she wanted to continue following the list of settlements Wyatt had found back at the Indiana Outpost. Maybe it was better for the group to just hunker down in a specific place like Sully's group had and make a go of it. Then they could be a lot happier instead of searching endlessly for a new home.

Annie would invite Bonnie along if the group were okay with it. She was nice and she had kept Annie safe. Maybe the radio man could come too. Maybe instead of searching for a settlement they could start one.

Thinking about starting a community made Annie sad that some of the group would not have lived to see it – Miles, Russell, Shel, Daniel, Lucia or Kiff or any of the rest that they had lost. So long as they weren't forgotten their deaths would not be pointless – that was why she still had Daniel's hat; to remember.

Suddenly the radio perked up again and Annie's thumb instinctively shot to the button. "Hello?" She called.

"Yeah, kid, listen – just had an idea," the man said. "Is your friend around?"

"No," Annie replied, "She's close, though."

"Ah, well, she doesn't need to hear this from me, but I've had an idea to keep the folks at Sanctum down – I'm gonna pinch 'em between two things but I need you guys' help for it." The man seemed rushed as if he was pressed for time. "You think you can lead some walkers down to the walls? Shouldn't be too hard to deal with, just stick with your friend and it might distract some of the guards, okay?"

Annie nodded. "Okay. Bring walkers to the walls. Got it."

"You've got it." The man told her. "This is the last we're gonna be able to speak before I do this, so good luck and let's hope it all goes well."

"Good luck." Annie told the man. Hoping he would be okay, she jumped off of the sofa and ran back into the kitchen. "Bonnie!" She called, "He called again!"

Bonnie turned, surprised, and reached out for the radio but Annie held it back. "He's already gone." She added.

Bonnie wiped her brow with the back of her hand and then looked at the girl again, leaning against the counter. "What did he say?" she asked.

"He wants us to lead some walkers to the walls to distract some of the guards so it's easier for him to get everyone out." Annie informed her. "It'll help."

"That sounds... mighty dangerous." Bonnie chuckled in surprise. "How does he expect us to do that?"

Annie shook her head. "We have to do it if it'll help."

Bonnie slung her assault rifle over her shoulder. "All right, but stick close to me and stay well away from the walkers."


	40. An Unwanted Guest

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Vince**

Vince was slumped against a wall, the backs of his wrists on the concrete flooring as his head tilted forward. He was awake, but completely demotivated. They were not going to make it out of this place. They were going to die in here.

Wyatt, Lowell and Becca were still trying to figure out a method of escape. Vince couldn't understand _why; _the only way out was through the door, which was kept closed at all times. The only time it was open was when the guards were around and, as they had found out earlier, one guard was always positioned outside the room to cut down anyone who made a break for it. There was only ever one guard outside the door when it was closed.

Vince couldn't think of any feasible way out, unless he was willing to dig a tunnel through concrete with his fingernails.

It wasn't helping that his stomach ached and his eye was tender where Tyler had beaten him up, blaming Vince and the others for his own arrival at Sanctum, when in truth it was his own fault for heading there with Lowell and Stan. Vince had ended up in the settlement anyway so Tyler's arrival would have just been delayed, if he had not already been killed by bandits along the way.

Vince's attention perked up for a moment as the door was slowly pushed open, only for the gap to be filled by the familiar but unwelcome silhouette of Silas. The man had been pleasant to them for so long, but now Vince realised it was only because he had been getting his own way. As soon as they had gone against his wishes he had turned into a completely different person; not the man who allowed strangers to expose their guns in his presence, a man who murdered defenseless people without a second thought.

"Inspection." The guard growled. "Should've done this earlier; our leader wants to make sure you didn't smuggle anything in."

The prisoners hesitated as Silas waited patiently. With enough huffs and sighs to rival a strong wind, Lowell, Tyler and Tessa placed their hands behind their backs and stood with their faces centimetres away from the cold, concrete walls.

"They know what they're doing." Silas remarked. "I suggest you follow suit, or you'll live to regret it."

Mitchell got up and locked his hands by his head. It was odd that he had acted first as he had a tendency to ignore instructions but Silas was pleased by the teenager's decision. "Kid knows when to pay attention. Now the rest of you."

Vince grunted as he climbed slowly to his feet, turned, and pressed his forehead against the wall. Not long after he had done so, Sully's face hit the wall beside him, Em doing the same. He glanced to his left and saw the remainder of the group do so as well.

Unable to watch what was going on, Vince had rely on his hearing. Silas shuffled around the room, kicking boxes and crates over. He heard a grunt as Silas cuffed someone around the back of the head and started patting them down. Once the guard was satisfied he moved to the next person and the next. Seizing his chance while Silas was distracted, Vince looked over his shoulder and felt his stomach sink when he noticed Hector in the doorway.

Vince emitted an involuntary grunt as Silas placed a hand on his back and slammed him into the wall, his cheek colliding with the stone. The guard briefly ran his thick hands down his arms and legs and then pushed him away before moving onto Becca. Vince's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched as he watched the man grip hold of the teenager. It took all of his will to remind himself that it was simply a pat-down search.

"Nothing." Silas announced, sounding pleased with himself. "Glad you folks had some sense." He paced towards the door and Hector moved aside to let him out. As he left Silas's radio started crackling and he held it to his mouth to begin communicating. "What is it?" he growled, demanding an answer. Hector clanged the door shut and the rest of the conversation was cut off, though Vince could still hear muffled speech as Silas paced down the corridor.

Vince walked back to the centre of the room and sat back down on a crate. "Back to planning, then." Lowell grunted. "Anyone else decided to join the escaping team with me, Wyatt and Becca?"

Vince sighed. There _was _no way out. Their only hope was that Annie was still alive and would find a group large enough to tackle Sanctum, but how would she even persuade them to do so?

His attention was drawn as the door started creaking. Soon enough the heavy metal swung open and Vince groaned when he saw Hector walk in with his assault rifle aimed at them.

"What do you want?" Tyler growled. "We just had an inspection, asshole. You saw it."

Hector raised his eyebrows and lowered his M4, letting it hang loose on the sling that was kept over his shoulder. He stroked his bearded chin nervously and then opened his mouth. "I'm here to help." He muttered. His tone was monotonous and dull, and he seemed to speak from the back of his throat.

"What sort fucking joke is that?" Tyler growled. "Giving us false hope now, are you?" He took advantage of the moment and shot up in his seat to attack Hector while he was unarmed. "I didn't even know you could speak."

"S-stop!" The guard stuttered. "I _do _speak and I _am_ here to help. I had to wait until Silas was gone before I could come in. I've been waiting for my chance for a hell of a long time now."

Vince scoffed. "Are you joking? How do we know we can even trust you if you're not?"

"If it's any consolation, the girl you were with - she's alive." Hector muttered. He was avoiding eye contact with them, clearly inept when it came to conversation.

"Bullshit, you probably killed her, didn't you?" Wyatt growled, "You chased her and you killed her!" He drew himself up to his full height and ran over to the guard, pinning him to the wall by the neck.

"S-stop!" Hector choked. "She's safe. I-I..."

"Dude, you'd better stop talking because just mentioning that girl is pissing me off right now." Wyatt cursed, shooting a dirty look at Becca.

Hector tried to gasp for air as Wyatt pinned him to the wall. "Her... hat!"

Wyatt loosened his grip. "What?" He questioned confused. "What about it?"

"I _did _talk to her. She told me she got the hat from a man called Daniel, I think. He was stabbed by bandits. I've been talking to her over my radio. She's safe, she's with a woman."

"Oh, god." Wyatt said, relaxing his grip. Slowly his eyes widened and he reached for Hector's walkie talkie. "Let me talk to her!"

"It's too dangerous here!" the newcomer growled, swatting Wyatt's hand away. He sighed with relief as Wyatt loosened his grip and backed off. "And before you say anything," the guard moaned, "If I had _killed _her I wouldn't be breaking you out."

"Why are you helping us?" Vince asked. "You've been working here for _how _long? You're risking your position."

"Fuck this place." Hector grunted, scratching the back of his head. "Fuck Silas, fuck Shaw, fuck all their... experiments. I've been against this place for a long while, but I couldn't leave on my own because I'd get nowhere. You seemed like the right kind of people, but it was too risky to tell you about the operations."

"So you risked letting us get cut up to save yourself?" Sully asked bitterly.

Hector scowled. "I can leave if you want."

Vince had had enough. "Everyone, cool it." He commanded. "How are you actually planning to get us out?"

Hector shrugged. "I've got to set up a distraction, but I'll be back as soon as possible. I'll get Phil to cover me while I do what I have to do, then I'll come back."

"Is he in on this too?" Becca asked. "Phil?"

"Of course not." Hector chuckled. "That idiot couldn't find water if he fell out of a canoe. I'll just order him to fill my place guarding this room and take care of him once I'm back."

"Where are you going?" Vince questioned. "How do you plan to create a distraction?"

"Sanctum won't be left in good shape." Hector snarled. "I'm not just running for it and letting the next poor idiots fall for their trap."

"Sooo..." Wyatt uttered, rotating his hand to hurry the guard up. "How are you gonna do it?"

Hector grinned and turned to the door as he placed his hands back on his M4. "I'm gonna burn this fucker down."


	41. Fulfilling Their End

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Annie**

Annie and Bonnie returned to the forest that surrounded Sanctum and searched the area for walkers which they could lure to the walls. Neither of them were sure how they'd do it, but if it helped save the group then they would have to find a way.

The man on the radio had not said a word since his last message, so Annie assumed he was busy fulfilling his end of the operation. Hopefully he would succeed in getting the group out but Annie didn't expect anything of him.

"There's one!" Bonnie called in a hushed tone, gesturing towards a shambling corpse that Annie had not spotted amid the bushes and undergrowth. It hadn't noticed them yet, and it was walking away from them.

"How are we gonna get it over here?" Annie asked.

Bonnie shrugged. "Keep an eye on that one, I'll see if I can spot any others. I won't go far."

The woman turned and shuffled away a couple of metres as Annie studied the walker. There had to be a way to get it to attack the wall without putting herself and Bonnie in danger.

From where she was hiding she could spot the guard tower – she guessed that Curtis was on duty, considering he had been at that post for the majority of the time while the group had stayed there. She had to alert his attention to the walkers once they were trying to get inside the settlement.

Bonnie returned briefly and sidled up next to the girl. "Nothin' over there. It'd be easier if we had a knife because we'd be able to cut their hands and jaws off and they wouldn't be able to bite us."

Annie's face contorted into a mask of repulsion. "Ew, that's gross."

"Do you think... maybe we could get _inside _the walls without 'em seeing?"

Annie tapped her chin. "I climbed out through a hole in a gate, so we might be able to get in through there."

Bonnie nodded. "Where is it?"

"On the other side of the place." Annie told her. Bonnie looked disheartened for a moment, but perked up afterwards. "All right. We'll probably pick up some more walkers on the way round."

The spindly woman climbed to her feet, rubbing some of the dried mud from her face and took a step towards the walker that Annie had been watching. "When we get to the gap, you go straight in and I'll make sure the walkers are still comin'."

Annie nodded and broke into a jog, hearing Bonnie whistle. The noise was followed by a guttural snarl as the dead human was attracted to the noise. She looked over her shoulder and saw the woman catching up to her as the walker padded along relentlessly behind them both.

They followed the wall of Sanctum as they ran around the settlement, Bonnie whistling intermittently to attract more of the walkers that littered the forest. By the time they made it to the back gate they had ten or so on their tail and they still had to get to the next gate along.

Annie sighed with relief as she saw the battered gate come into her line of vision. The black metal was twisted and curved where something had smashed into it but it was supported by a large wooden barrier which Vince and Becca had constructed a few days prior. Remembering where the hole had been Annie ducked down and pushed against the wooden board.

Her stomach sank. It wasn't budging.

"What're you waitin' for?" Bonnie asked, sounding panicked by the advancing walkers. "Get in!"

"I can't! It's... stuck!" Annie cried. "They must have fixed it after I got out."

"Shit." Bonnie cursed. The walkers were surrounding them now. A good shove could probably part the dead sea but it wasn't worth trying. "Fuckin'... fuckin' kick it out! It's probably just a quick patch job!"

Annie planted her bottom on the grass and drew her leg in as Bonnie watched the walkers. With a grunt she fired a powerful kick that smacked the board but failed to loosen it.

"Try again!" Bonnie ordered. "Come on!"

Annie did as she was told, slamming the bottom of her foot into the wood again, hearing a creak as it started to give way. "One more..." she told herself.

She squealed as she launched her foot at the wood one last time. The kick forced the nails out of their holes and created the hole she needed. Annie crawled in, pushing the board to one side so that her palms and knees were not punctured by the nails which were sticking up and out of the wood. Ignoring her aching ankle, she ducked to the left and hid behind the car that had been pushed in front of the barrier to secure it as Bonnie crawled through the gap.

Annie grabbed hold of Bonnie's sleeve to help her in but the woman jerked back and her face turned from an image of strain to one of fright. A walker on the other side had grabbed the back of her foot and was trying to pull her back out.

Annie kept hold of her friend's sleeve as the adult kicked and flailed in an attempt to shake herself free. The seven year old's arms were weak enough that she was barely able to hold herself in place, let alone help Bonnie.

Resorting to a different tactic, Annie grabbed hold of the strap that held Bonnie's assault rifle over her shoulder and pulled that. She trapped it around the back of the car, making it so that it would be harder for the walker to pull Bonnie out as she was anchored, and then ran over to the woman's leg and tugged at her shin. The walker on the other side snarled and reached for the child but she retracted her arm just in time and grabbed Bonnie's flailing thigh instead.

With all her might, Annie grunted and pulled Bonnie free of the walker. The adult scrabbled away as the walker tried to crawl inside but its wide shoulders left it stuck in the hole. Annie felt a surge of triumph and backed away from the member of the dead, turning to face the woman she had just liberated.

Bonnie ceased wiping her knees and smiled, placing her hands on Annie's shoulders. "You saved me!" She remarked, her reaction delayed.

The duo were shocked as a bullet ricocheted off the wall ahead of them. "Shit." Bonnie grunted. The woman gripped Annie's wrist and tugged her around the back of the vehicle.

"Wait," Annie said, looking at the guard tower by the front gate. "He's shooting at the walkers!"

"It worked!" Bonnie gasped. "I didn't expect it to - not in a thousand years. We'd better give our friend a call."

Annie handed the woman her walkie talkie and she pressed the button to transmit. "Hey, I know we weren't supposed to call you but the walkers are at the wall and the guy on the gate is distracted."

"Shit." The man replied. "I'm on my way to the prisoners now. If Cur- _their guy _is gonna take care of the dead you'll be able to sneak out of the front gate – get back to the farmhouse and I'll meet you there. His gunfire is only gonna attract more dead."

Bonnie nodded even though the mysterious helper could not see them. "We'll head out now."

"Good. Just don't go inside Sanctum, for Christ's sake."

The radio cut out, so Bonnie couldn't ask why he had told them not to enter the building. Annie felt her wrist being gripped, her ally tugging her clockwise around the main tower. Just as they hid around the corner of the building they caught sight of Curtis running towards the wall, missing them by an inch as he screamed into a radio of his own.

"Walkers at the wall, 'bout twenty of 'em, possibly more en route. Get Mike and Scott out here now! Wha-? No! Lilly, I need people out _here_." he paused to raise his rifle. "The main building's _what?!"_

Bonnie dragged Annie away and they retreated around the side of the building, avoiding the few guards that spilled out calling to their allies – apparently there was a disruption on the inside, too.

They faced the main gate and Annie eyed the lever that opened it – the same lever that had been used to let her group into Sanctum when they first arrived.

She gestured towards it, alerting Bonnie's attention as gunfire rumbled not a hundred metres away. The woman pulled the lever down and the gates sprang open to reveal four walkers on the other side which darted into the compound and lunged for them. Bonnie backed up and grabbed Annie's wrist, not even paying attention to the dead as they escaped the settlement.

"We've done what we were supposed to do." Bonnie told her, "Come on, we'll wait for them at the farmhouse."

Annie ran after Bonnie, neglecting the urge to look around just in case the sight of the walkers breaking into Sanctum was too much for her. The settlement would be able to deal with the dead, but she wasn't sure what their mystery friend was cooking up in the building's core.


	42. Running The Gauntlet

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Becca**

The group waited anxiously for Hector's return. After the initial surprise, his betrayal of Sanctum was not all that far-fetched; considering how badly the settlement had screwed her group over, Becca guessed that some of the guards must have been tricked or lied to at some point too, especially with someone like Shaw running the place.

Em's face was a lot less red than it had been earlier and her eyes were finally dry. The past few hours had probably been extremely rough for her considering she had seen her Uncle's face being blown to smithereens the night before, but she was regaining her composure. Perhaps the prospect of escape had given her a leg to stand on instead of having nothing but spiraling depression.

Tyler was restless. The old guard of Carver's camp was pacing the room, scratching at his sealed up eyelid every now and then. The man had been in this place for two months, so Becca guessed that he was itching to get out more than anyone else.

The group jolted with shock as they heard a thud outside and the door swung open. Hector stood in the doorway and waved them out hurriedly.

As they ran out into the light shielding their eyes Becca saw the guard named Phil slumped on the floor outside the door with a gash on his face. Hector caught her gaze and lifted his assault rifle, re-enacting the strike he had taken his former ally out with.

"Let's waste this piece of shit." Tyler snarled, looking at the crumpled guard.

"No time." Tessa told him, adjusting her crutches. "Where do we go now?"

"You sure you can keep up?" Sully asked the one-legged woman. Tessa only nodded in response, determined not to fall at the last hurdle.

"Fire's started on the other side of the building," Hector said. "They'll all be going that way to combat it so we head for the armory on the other side and take what we can."

"Lead the way." Vince commanded.

The traitorous guard broke into a sprint and the group of nine followed along – Vince and Wyatt in hot pursuit while the injured members such as Tyler and Tessa lagged behind. Hector slammed a door open and led them out of the central building. Becca recognised the courtyard from when they escaped the hospital wards of the settlement and its appearance was not much different in the twilight hours.

"Where'd you start the fire, dude?" Wyatt asked.

Hector didn't answer immediately, stopping to kick a door open and look around. "Your bunks..." he muttered "...happen to be extremely flammable."

"What about our stuff?" Mitchell asked.

Ignoring the question, Hector led them inside and down another corridor, ignoring the teenager's question as he held his assault rifle up, ready for anyone who turned the corner.

A doctor turned a corner, sprinting in a panic. The man gripped Hector's lapels and screamed into his face. "Fire! There's a fire!"

Hector stared the man down as the babbling medic looked over his shoulder. "What are they doing here?"

Hector smirked as he shrugged the man off. "Hello, Harold. Pleased with yourself?"

The doctor's forehead creased as he backed away. "What? You talk? I didn't... what did I do?"

He didn't hear an answer – the butt of Hector's gun slammed into the side of his face, knocking him flat. "You know what you did." The guard snarled, kicking the man in the guts before twisting his weapon around and slamming the stock into the doctor's head. He took a few more brutal swings before regaining his sense and leading the group on. Becca wasn't sure what had just happened or if the doctor would even survive, but considering the man would have cut her open on an operating table, she found it hard to care.

Hector kicked the double doors to the armory open and ran into the centre. "Grab anything you can carry – guns, food, you're gonna need it. Any of your old shit too."

Becca did as instructed, heading for a shelf with a familiar yellow backpack on it. Noticing Annie's small, green backpack next to it she picked that up too before feeling that they were both empty.

Apparently Sanctum had not had any time to sort through their belongings because they were strewn across the shelf beside their backpacks. Becca grabbed Annie's gear along with a note which piqued her interest, then found a few of her own supplies including a couple of extra items of clothing and shoved them into the bag along with her pistol and some small items of food.

Something unexpected was caught beneath her hand – a small square of paper, about the size of her palm.

A polaroid.

She turned it over and stepped back in shock. Standing in the photo, smiling, was a twelve-year-old Becca Williams. Shel was on the other side of the photo, their father in the middle with a hand on each of their shoulders. She remembered it being taken – a year or so after her parents' divorce which had made her so sour, a month before the outbreak, a month before the fatal bite that took her father.

Since when had she owned the photo? She had not seen it in years.

Unless Shel had kept it the whole time. Maybe her devious older sister had snuck it into Becca's backpack at some point and it had fallen to the bottom, ignored during their time at Carver's camp, the escape and the subsequent months of running. Becca had never realised.

She stared at the photo. She had barely recognised her dad to begin with – the man from her dream the night before had been distorted and faded, but his face was clear in this photo. She smiled and pressed the photo into her bag before turning her attention to the note that had been near Annie's backpack.

It looked like a note, written by hand on a lined piece of paper. It was scruffily written and barely legible. She could barely read it, but she put it in the bag anyway under the assumption that it meant something to the kid.

"Everyone ready?" Vince hissed.

Becca looked over her shoulder, phasing out of her nostalgic trance. "Yeah." She answered, unconvinced. "I'm good."

The group congregated in the centre of the room, packed up and ready to run for it. It reminded Becca of the time she and the others had escaped Carver's camp. The prisoners there had forced them to leave but this time her group _were _the prisoners.

Hector retrieving a rucksack he had already prepared and kicked the double doors of the armory open. The group followed and recognised the gate they had tried and failed to escape through the night before, but instead of taking them that way their saviour turned right and made a break for the front gates which, for some reason, were open.

"We got dead piling in." Vince growled, aiming a pistol he had found in the armory. "We need to clear a path."

"Don't spread out too much. We don't want to get split up, but if anyone does, we're headed for a farmhouse due west of the settlement." Hector ordered.

"How do we know which way west is?" Sully questioned.

"Sun rises in the east and sets in the west." Tessa informed him. "Sun's setting now, so just run in that direction."

The group started firing off pot shots at walkers that crept too close to the group. Becca halted in her tracks and shot at a member of the dead which was creeping up on Wyatt. As much as the man hated her for Annie's disappearance, Becca wouldn't allow herself to let the man die, for Annie's sake.

The group were distracted as a shout resonated through the grounds. "Hector!"

The guard himself looked over his shoulder and his eyes narrowed. Becca turned to stare as well and saw Sonja aiming rifle at them. "Hector, what are you doing?"

Hector turned and faced the comrade he had renounced. His lip quivered as he snarled and bared his teeth at the woman.

"You're letting them escape!" Sonja shouted. "Go after them – shoot them if you have to!"

Becca looked and saw the rest of the group still tackling walkers as they struggled towards the gate. Hector maintained his icy stare with Sonja and raised his M4, staring down the sights.

Sonja's eyes widened. "Hector, no-"

The air was filled with the sound of gunfire as the ex-guard relentlessly attempted to attack the woman as she dove for cover, barely saving her skin. Hector prepared to fire again but Becca grabbed his forearm, turning his attention to the group who were making their escape. He scoffed, looked back briefly, and they made a run for it.

The group had run into trouble; the amount of walkers attracted by the shouting and gunfire had increased. There were still no more than thirty but more were probably on their way. If Annie was alive as Hector had said, Becca was surprised that a seven-year-old had managed to avoid this amount of dead.

Tyler and Lowell had taken down one walker and were busy taking turns stamping on its head mercilessly, relishing every strike and disregarding the rest of the dead that were surrounding them. Tessa, who apparently kept them both under control, had to call out to them to get them to rejoin the major group, though they didn't leave until they had put a few more decent kicks into the corpse.

Becca linked up with Vince and Wyatt, who were slamming walkers with the tools they had stolen from the armory. Vince had the familiar machete he had obtained a long time ago and Wyatt had a sledgehammer. Becca fired a few rounds at the undead and pressed for the group to leave.

Summoning Tyler's small group over, Vince turned to grab the attention of Sully's third of the group, but they were about ten metres away. "Sully!" Vince yelled. "We need to move!"

Sully looked over his shoulder and backed away from a walker that lunged for him, before plunging an ice pick through its eye socket. Mitchell had his switchblade and was jabbing walkers while Em smashed them with a claw hammer. "Guys, get back to the group!" Sully told his allies. "Not worth fighting, let's just get out!"

As the three from the gas station abandoned their fight and tried to meet up with the main congregation, Hector's attention turned to the gate and he made a run for it. Becca almost tried to stop him but she realised he was doing what they should have been doing the whole time. Instead of arguing, she grabbed Vince's sleeve and tugged him in that direction too.

They made it out of the gates and followed Hector as the man darted to the right and dove into the trees. Looking over her shoulder Becca saw Sonja slowly staggering onto her feet at the base of one of Sanctum's four towers. The woman screamed into her radio and then took aim at the group in an attempt to cut them down in their tracks.

Looking around she saw that Tessa, Tyler and Lowell had already disappeared into thin air, leaving Sully, Em and Mitchell in the line of fire. Vince saw the guard preparing to fire on them and grabbed Becca beneath the armpits before hitting the ground.

Wyatt hit the floor next to them as more shots rang out in the air. Sully turned in place, shielding his face with his arm – for all the good that would have done – and sprinted to one side, his hand gripping Emily's and pulling her down with him.

Though Mitchell had been fending off a walker, standing upright the whole time, no stray bullets hit him. He gripped his switchblade in his right fist and slammed his knuckles into the corpse's jaw, knocking it to one side. Becca buried her face into the dirt again as Sonja fired off some more bullets, only rising when the woman's magazine was seemingly empty. When she looked up she saw Mitchell staggering out of the gate with the walker dead on the floor. Sully jumped up and pulled his brother towards him, before helping Em up.

Vince, Becca and Wyatt got up and darted into the forest, assuming that Sully and the others would follow close behind. As they sprinted through the foliage, Becca turned her head to the right and saw the back-left tower of Sanctum glowing with an orange blaze. As Hector had planned, the place was burning to a crisp.

Becca turned her attention away from the chaos and followed Vince and Wyatt through the woods. It wasn't anything Sanctum didn't deserve.


	43. Hope Springs Eternal

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Vince**

Vince was in two minds about the situation at hand. He was thinking about how they had made it out and how they were free, but his mind raced with thoughts about how it wasn't over, how the surviving guards would probably track them down and kill them or die trying.

Something else that worried him was how Hector had disappeared as soon as they were clear of the gates. Even though he clearly had a grudge against Sanctum too, Vince wasn't sure if the guard still had a problem with his own group. Maybe he was lying, maybe it was all just an elaborate ruse to keep their suffering for himself and take out as many people as possible to get his own way. The man had said more than his fair share of words since he'd rescued the group, but not many had provided answers.

They needed a plan – not a plan for the entire group, a plan for _them; _Wyatt, Becca, Annie and himself.

"We're gonna get Annie, we're gonna camp at that farmhouse and first thing in the morning we'll leave and head back to Indiana." He told his two followers. "With any luck the place is still abandoned and we can make a go of it there rather than this wild goose chase of bullshit settlements."

"Okay, dude," Wyatt replied. "We just... gotta get safe first, okay? Make sure Annie's okay."

"Make sure Annie's okay." Becca echoed. Wyatt shot her an aggressive look, ordering her to back off.

Vince was getting slightly fed up with their little tiff. "Cool it, guys." he told them. "Becca acted quick and saved Annie. Granted it was a bad decision but we wouldn't have been able to pull that escape off if not for that bad decision."

"So you're siding with her?" Wyatt asked, "What the hell?"

"I'm not siding with anyone." Vince grunted. "Just... don't even start, okay? Sanctum are the bad guys here, not us. We don't need to start fighting each other."

Wyatt wiped his brow. "Funny, coming from you – after what happened a couple of months back. You were _so _keen to burn me at the stake, man."

Vince didn't rise to the bait, instead leaving Wyatt to wallow on his own as they walked through the woods. Maybe he would invite Sully, Emily and Mitchell along with them when they were in a more stable position but he wasn't too sure about Tyler, Lowell, Tessa or Hector. He wasn't sure if he could trust guards from Howe's or Sanctum - trusting people hadn't exactly got him very far, looking at what had happened with people such as Carver, Marshall, Fuad and Silas.

His train of thought was cut off as they broke out of the forest, finding themselves at the bottom of a hill. As they made their way up the incline, they caught sight of a series of fields which were prevented from spreading by thick wooden fencing that came up to Vince's waist. A dirt path led to a single-floor house with a barn just behind it. As the sun set ahead of them Vince barely made out the shape of a person walking towards the house.

"Probably one of ours, but it might be worth taking a closer look." He suggested. "Can't be too careful."

Wyatt and Becca nodded and Vince withdrew his machete, creeping up on the figure. It only took him a few steps before he recognised Hector, but he remained cautious as he hailed the Sanctum guard.

"Hector!" he said, prompting the man to jolt and turn around. "Where are the others?"

Hector shrugged and looked past Vince to study the forest. He shook his head as if he had expected the rest to be right behind him and then turned to walk towards the house again. Becca and Wyatt sidled up next to Vince and looked at Hector, concerned, as he knocked on the door and withdrew his walkie talkie, placing his hands in the air and his gun on the ground.

The door opened and Hector backed down the steps, away from the front door. Vince saw the guard hold his position as he stared at whoever was on the other side. It seemed as if they didn't expect to see him. The man held his radio to his mouth and pressed the transmit button, saying "It's me. It was me all along – I helped them and now they're here."

Hector sighed with relief and relaxed as the person on the other side of the door finally believed him and took a tentative step outside, causing Wyatt's and Becca's faces to light up. Vince even felt a small smile creep onto his face.

Annie's big eyes widened as she grinned uncontrollably, sprinting towards the group and leaving the house. Wyatt crouched down and caught the child as she threw herself at him and the two clung to each other for a few moments before letting go. Once Wyatt was done Becca crouched and threw her arms around the seven-year-old, whispering "I'll never make you do that again. You scared me half to death."

"That man..." Annie said quietly, looking over her shoulder. "I thought he was the bad one who didn't talk?"

"He worked out that Sanctum was bad and he helped us." Vince smiled, patting the child's shoulder. "He helped all of us – without Hector, we'd be stuck in there and you'd be stuck out here." He looked at the guard, who was watching them calmly, and gave him a thankful nod. The man's expression didn't change from its usual mask of neutrality, but somehow Vince knew the man had got the message.

"We didn't do all this alone." Annie admitted. "I met a lady who was going to Sanctum and she helped me."

"Where is she?" Wyatt questioned. "Who helped you?"

The answer came from behind them. "That'd be me."

Vince shivered on the spot, even though the weather was mild. He turned to face Annie's saviour. His eyes widened and his jaw fell open as his expression was mirrored on the face of the woman ten feet behind him.

As Wyatt and Becca turned to see Annie's helped, Vince charged forwards with his arms outstretched and wrapped them around Bonnie's skinny frame. Bonnie huffed "Oh, my god." into his shoulder as she pulled at the material of his jacket and her smooth cheek made contact with his rough, stubbly face.

Bonnie placed her hands on Vince's shoulders and pushed herself back. The woman's face was red and she had tears in the corners of her eyes, which were starting to leak down her cheeks. Vince smiled, a shocked burst of air escaping his lungs as he chuckled under his breath. Bonnie wiped her face and then touched the black eye Vince had been given by Tyler, before running over to embrace Wyatt.

"Wait, what's going on?" Annie asked.

"This is _Bonnie!" _Wyatt cried. "_Bonnie! _From Carver's camp!"

Annie was taken back. "She was at Carver's camp?!"

Bonnie pointed at Annie. "_She _was at Carver's camp?"

Vince explained the situation to the friends he had been reunited with. "Annie, Bonnie was a guard there, and Bonnie, Annie lived in the homestead. Did you really not recognise each other?"

Bonnie crouched down and removed Annie's hat. "This musta thrown me off." She admitted. "I only saw her a couple of times back then, but now it's all makin' sense... and she doesn't recognise me because I was always on runs or in the armory, never in the homestead..."

"How did you get out?" Vince asked, confused. "Tyler and Lowell got out, too. They were at Sanctum and they should be coming this way."

"How I got out... it... it ain't important." Bonnie sighed, shrugging off the question as she wiped her nose again. Her eyes fell on Becca. "W-where's Shel? And Russell?"

The group paused awkwardly. "Oh." Bonnie groaned. "They never even made it out."

"They did." Vince confirmed. "Just... we went through a lot of shit. Shel, Russell, Miles, Laura... we lost 'em along the way."

"Oh. Oh, my." Bonnie crouched in front of Becca. "I-I know you don't like me, Becca, but I'm truly, truly sorry about your sister."

Becca's brow creased as she looked at the ground. "I don't... _hate _you, Bonnie. I never hated you. I was just... difficult. But what happened to Shel taught me to make the most of what we have while we still have it."

"That's... noble... of you." Bonnie nodded, smiling. She turned to Vince. "What do we do now? Those Sanctum folks are gonna be around soon."

Vince sighed. "It's been a long day. Let's just go inside and wait for everyone else. We can let our plans lie for an hour or two while we catch up."


	44. Come To Rest

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Wyatt**

Wyatt and the group retreated into the farmhouse, shocked by Bonnie's surprise appearance. Wyatt could barely voice his happiness – not just at Bonnie's arrival, but Annie's safety too.

Apparently Bonnie had left with 'some other guys' from Carver's camp, though she was reluctant to provide any names. For the most part her group had died off or splintered apart, causing her to leave with two other men following a lot of tension.

What they had done to escape had hit Bonnie hard and staying with those same two guys kept reminding her of the events, so she left one night and went it alone, heading to Wellington to try and find the other members of her group. She was turned away and from there heard rumours of Sanctum from a drifter a few days before meeting Annie.

"This is insane, what are the chances?" Bonnie gushed. "Gosh, it's great to be back with you guys. I'm still surprised I didn't recognise lil' Annie here." She ruffled Annie's hair affectionately. "Y'all got a good kid here."

"Wyatt saved her from walkers back at Carver's." Vince muttered. "If it weren't for him..."

Wyatt spotted Bonnie shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Deep down he guessed she had something to do with the walkers overrunning Carver's camp but he didn't want to believe it.

"If it weren't for Becca sending me out I never would've found help." Annie smiled. Wyatt still resented Becca's actions, but at least it had done more good than harm.

"Gotta say, I didn't expect tall, dark and quiet over there to be one of their guards," Bonnie said, resting her chin on her palm as she stared at Hector. The man was looking out of the window for signs of the other missing group members. "Wonder how he's feelin'."

"We didn't even think he could talk." Becca muttered, leaning back in her seat before lowering her voice to a whisper. "He still kind of creeps me out."

"He helped us out." Annie told her authoratively. "He's our friend."

"Things might change, kiddo." Bonnie sighed. "Things... might change. Let's hope not."

"Let's not think about it, dudes," Wyatt told them, resting his fists on the wooden table. "We need to worry about Sanctum. They're gonna be coming, because I doubt they all died in the fire."

Vince nodded. "Some are probably dead, but a lot of the guards were drawn out by the walkers. Sonja and Curtis are definitely still around, maybe Silas too."

"Here's hoping bitchface Shaw burned to death." Becca snarled. "If not I wanna have a word with her."

"It's Silas we've gotta worry about." Wyatt sighed. "Based on how... unforgiving he was with Kiff, he's gonna come after us and he'll totally find tracks or something."

"Whadda we do?" Bonnie asked. "I'm not exactly well versed in how these guys operate."

"We need to get out of here, find somewhere else." Vince told them. "Eastland sounds good to me."

Becca rubbed her chin in thought. "That's the mall in Indiana, right? I've been thinking that we could start something there."

"Exactly." Vince agreed. "It's perfect. We just need the others."

Hector trudged through the room, his heavy boots slamming into the floor. "You're in luck." He informed them.

Wyatt got out of his seat, the motion mirrored by Vince, and he followed Hector to the front door. A brief sigh resonated from his throat as he recognised the one armed form of Lowell, assuming that the two figures with him were Tyler and Tessa. He was hoping for Sully's group, as he had never got along with Tyler or Lowell.

"Found the place." Tyler sighed, scratching at his sealed eye socket. "Finally."

"Seems like we were beaten to it." Tessa told him, eyeing Wyatt and Vince. "Are the rest in there?"

Vince nodded. "Everyone but Sully, Mitchell and Em." He looked at Tyler and said "Get this, _Bonnie's _the one who helped us from the outside. Bonnie from _Howe's_."

Tyler's eye thinned as he stormed inside, growling "_Motherfucker."_

"What's his problem?" Wyatt asked, watching the tan-shirted man stamp through the house.

Lowell raised his right arm in his usual one-sided shrug. "When the lurkers took over Howe's we were all supposed to be up there, firing on the dead in the parking lot. Bonnie wasn't there, Tyler must think she abandoned her post. Funny thing is, we did the exact same when things got rough."

"I'm going back inside." Vince grimaced, walking back through the front door. "Gotta keep an eye on him."

Following Vince's lead, Wyatt waved Hector, Tessa and Lowell into the building. He still felt uncomfortable around Tyler, but Tessa seemed okay and Lowell's lack of power had improved his personality somewhat.

When they reached the dining room they found Tyler berating Bonnie. "If you hadn't have left your post we would've been able to keep shit under control! You were supposed to be with us, taking down the lurkers, not running off!"

"Cool it." Vince warned him. "Bonnie helped get us out of Sanctum, are you really gonna keep dwelling on the past?"

Bonnie silenced him. "It's fine, really." She turned to Tyler and rose from her seat. "I did what I thought was right. I got people out of harm's way while you only managed to save _yourselves. _Guess it turned out pretty well for you, lookin' at that eye of yours."

Tyler raised his hand. "Say that again. I ain't afraid to hit a woman for spoutin' bullshit."

Before the man could do anything, Vince grabbed his shoulders and threw him against the wall. "Back the fuck off." he snarled, staring into Tyler's eyes.

Tyler shrugged him off and staggered into the adjoining room, scratching his eyelid. "Fuck this." he said, "I don't need it."

Lowell took a seat at the table, neglecting to follow his ally. "He's been a nightmare these past two months." he sighed, "Used to be fine. Once we got out we had a whole issue with food for a few weeks, then we found Sanctum and they tricked us like they did with you guys. Unfortunately they needed more from us, which is why I'm missing an arm, Tyler's got an eye out and Stan unwillingly gave his body to science."

"Stan was with ya?" Bonnie gasped. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Lowell grunted. "I'm over it."

"We need to check all of our supplies and then leave as soon as possible." Vince told them. "We head back to Eastland and make a go of it there."

Hector nodded in agreement as he stared out of the window, watching the path leading up to the house. Wyatt couldn't argue with the plan. The place would be easily defendable with enough people, and though some places would need to be repaired and fortified, it was worth a try. If his assumptions were correct, the herd that had passed through during their first visit would be long gone by now.

"Are we going to set up a community?" Becca asked. "What do we do if people ask to come in?"

"We'll decide when we come to it. For now we need to make sure that _we're_ safe."

Hector looked over his shoulder. "Got the other three en route."

Wyatt got up and strode briskly to the front door, opening it and stepping out onto the veranda. Surely enough, Sully, Em and Mitchell were on their way, though they seemed stressed.

"You guys okay?" Wyatt called, prompting Sully to look up.

"No," the man replied, his voice shaky as he staggered along. "We've got a problem."


	45. Dead On Arrival

**Day 969 – Evening**

**Vince**

The mood in the dining room changed as Sully, Em, Mitchell and Wyatt rushed inside, closing the door behind them. The room was slightly cramped now. "What's the problem?" Vince asked.

Sully stuttered, looking at the ground. Vince got out of his chair and walked over to the man. "If something's wrong you have to tell us." He told him. "We can't hide shit from each other."

The man's face was drooping with sadness. "We need to talk in private. You, me, Mitchell, Em."

"Sure," Vince replied. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group and said, "I'll be back in a second."

Stepping in front of Sully, he led the remains of the gas station group into the living room of the house and closed the door behind him. Placing his arm on his shoulder, he rolled it around in his socket, happy that Sanctum had at least had the decency to stitch up his bullet wound after he had been drugged by Shaw.

Emily crossed her arms and leaned against the door, staring at the floor. She had only lost her uncle the night before, so things were bound to be hard for her. Combining that with the stress of the escape probably didn't help. Mitchell sat on the sofa as Sully lingered in front of him.

"What's the problem?" Vince asked. "We need to get moving soon."

"We can't go anywhere." Sully sighed, and then turned to his younger brother. "Just... show him."

Mitchell sighed as his right hand found its way to the collar of his brown hoodie. Pulling it outwards, the teen winced with pain and Vince's eyes widened with shock as he caught the sight of blood. "He's... bitten." He gasped. "When did this happen?"

"You can fix it, right?" Sully asked, "Like you did with Becca? You saved _her_, so you can save _him._"

Vince shook his head. "How long has it been?"

Mitchell sighed. "About three quarters of an hour. Whenever that guard started shooting at us. I was trying to deal with that walker. Punched it in the face and made a run for it but it got me from behind and bit my shoulder."

"So _save him."_ Sully demanded. "Jesus Christ, my brother can't die too."

Vince exhaled deeply. "It's on his shoulder, so I can't cut it off. It's been too long anyway. It's too late."

"So you're just gonna give him a death sentence, is that it?!" Sully growled, raising his bandaged left fist. "You're just gonna let him die without even trying?!"

"It's out of my hands." Vince told him. "I can't do anything."

Sully's head fell into his hands and he turned away, moaning. "Sonofabitch," he grunted. "Fucking hell."

Mitchell looked up as he massaged his bitten shoulder. "Look, if we can't do shit, I'll just wait it out. See what happens. It's what I deserve, anyway." He spoke dejectedly; detached from his own fate.

"You don't deserve this!" Sully cried. "Jesus, regardless of what happened in the past you don't deserve this, no one does!"

Mitchell looked at Vince. "What do I do? I'm gonna die and we can't do shit. Just like Fuad."

"I guess we can only prepare for it and let you have what you want." Vince told him calmly. "Do you want to wait until you've turned or do you want to be stopped from turning?"

Mitchell paused in thought – he was taking it a lot better than his brother. "Yeah, no. I don't want to turn." The teenager's skin was not yet pale, so the virus had not fully set in. "Maybe if those Sanctum fuckers show up you can just leave me here to turn, hopefully I'll eat one of them." He chuckled, then his face fell. "Fuck, I'm gonna die."

"We must be able to do something." Em suggested. "Anything to make the pain go away."

Vince shook his head. "Besides killing him while he's alive, nothing. We could always knock him out until it's over but I reckon he'd probably want as much time as he could have."

Mitchell nodded. "I'll just deal with it. Probably just a cold that gets worse and worse until I die, huh?"

"You've got a gun," Vince told him, "You can always take yourself out if it hurts too much, like Fuad did."

"You gonna bury me?" Mitchell asked. "'Cause I'd be more in favour of a viking funeral or something." He chuckled to himself, then gave a concerned look towards Sully. "He's more worried about this than I am."

"Of course he is." Vince said, "He's gonna be left alone, the last of his family." He looked at the ground. "It's happened to most of us, though. Annie, Becca, me. He'll be fine... eventually."

Mitchell looked over his left shoulder, wincing as he put strain on his wound. "Em, look after him, yeah? I know my brother and I never really got along but I don't want him giving up just 'cause I'm dead."

Em sighed to herself. Her uncle had died the night before - she needed looking after too.

"Don't worry," Vince said, "Once we're at Eastland we'll be safe and we'll rest easy."

Mitchell smirked. "When you get there you'd better rename the place in my honour. I'm not gonna be forgotten. The Mitchell Sullivan Community." He looked at Emily. "And name a bit after Kiff, if you want."

"I'll keep that in mind." Vince muttered monotonously. "I'll leave you to think about what's going on."

"Tell the others." Sully told him, "I don't have the balls right now." Mitchell nodded in agreement.

"Get some rest," Vince told the teenager. "Things are gonna get rough quick."

Emily moved out of the way as Vince opened the door and shuffled into the hallway. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and once he had regained his composure he walked into the dining room. Instantly all eyes were on him, though Tyler, Lowell and Tessa were not present.

"Is something the matter?" Bonnie asked in her usual southern drawl. "We heard shoutin'."

Vince looked at the tablecloth, avoiding eye contact. "Mitchell's bit." He told them. "Can't amputate, it's on his shoulder."

"Fuck." Wyatt gasped, folding his arms. "He just gonna wait it out?"

"Yeah," Vince confirmed. "I'd recommend keeping away unless he specifically asks. Sully isn't taking it well."

"Those two have a history with bites, I think." Becca said. "Back when I first met Mitchell, I told him that my fingers had been cut off because of a bite and he threw a fit saying he 'could've saved someone.'"

Their conversation was cut short as Hector walked into the room, waving his radio in the air, his face a mask of concern. Vince barely had time to react as the man threw him the device. As he caught it in his palms it crackled into life and a voice started echoing through it.

"_HelloOOooOOoooo..?" _came a familiar voice. "_I know you're there, Hec, and I know exactly what you did. Shoulda done what you did to Harold and killed Sonja too, cause she knows exactly what you did."_

Vince's eyes narrowed. "Silas."

"_Come on, friend, talk to me. We can sort this out. Just return the subjects and you can walk away. Unless Shaw needs another one. Just come back."_

Vince didn't press the button to transmit. He looked at the group, concerned and grimaced.

"_No answer? Fine, considering Sanctum's a wreck now, anyway, we'll just have to come to you." _The man on the other end chuckled. "_It won't be hard to find you, you won't have gotten far. Bye for now, see you soon."_

"What do we do?" Becca asked, a panicked look on her face.

Wyatt looked at the ground, thinking. "We need to get out of here, head for Eastland, cover our tracks."

"But we have a bite victim," Bonnie reminded them, "They'll catch us if we're looking after him."

"Well, I'm sure as hell not shortening Mitchell's life just to give us a headstart." Vince growled. "We leave as soon as we can, and the kid comes too."

"What do we do if the bad people catch up to us?" Annie questioned. "I don't want to be put in hospital again."

"That won't happen." Vince said, taking a seat and placing his pistol on the table. "Because this time, we'll be ready."

**TO BE CONCLUDED**


	46. EPISODE FIVE - REST IN PEACE

**Day 970 – Early Morning**

**Becca**

Becca awoke to cold morning light hitting her eyes as it passed through a thin curtain. For a moment she forgot where she was, but soon pieced it all together. They had escaped Sanctum and in a shock series of events they had met up with an old friend – Bonnie.

She wasn't sure how to feel. She never really liked Bonnie; the woman had been a drug addict for a long time and she had ditched their group once they got to Carver's camp, only really keeping in touch with Wyatt or Vince because they both visited the armory where her post was. Becca also recalled that the woman was a frequent liar.

That said, she _had _helped Annie rather than turning her away, and she had fulfilled Hector's orders which had aided in the escape from Sanctum.

Becca pushed her hair out of her face, rising from her resting place. After Hector had received some threatening transmissions from Silas regarding his betrayal, she had realised how tired she was and had retreated to another room to rest before they made a run for it.

It had been a few hours as the day was dawning, but there had been no sign of Sanctum thus far. Perhaps they were biding their time, perhaps they were luring the group into a false sense of security, but the best option was to make an escape while they still could.

She got up and stared out of the window, spotting Hector and Vince discussing something as they stood on the path to the farmhouse. She hadn't seen Tessa, Tyler or Lowell since the night before, but she couldhear Bonnie, Wyatt and Annie talking downstairs.

Becca thought of Sully's group. They were a mess – Em had lost her Uncle about forty-eight hours ago and Mitchell was bitten, which meant Sully was losing his brother. Though she had never really liked Mitchell she felt nothing but empathy for Sully, as she knew what losing a sibling was like.

Dragging her feet across the teal-coloured carpet, Becca staggered onto the landing in a woozy haze, still half-asleep. Looking to her left, she jumped when she noticed Emily waiting outside her door. "Em." she said, regarding the woman, "What's going on?"

"Sully sent me." the woman sighed, sullen-faced. It looked as if she had been crying recently, judging by her red face and the bags beneath her eyes – no doubt still struggling over the loss of her last living relative. "You need to come and see Mitchell."

Becca almost protested before she realised the teenager was dying. Em pushed herself away from the wall and crept down the hallway with her head hanging. Once they reached the door at the end of the landing the red-haired woman pushed the door open for Becca to enter, wiping her nose with the back of her wrist.

Becca took a few tentative steps into the room, admiring the large window that overlooked the farm along with a desk and a few chairs that looked quite comfortable. Closing the door behind her she caught sight of Mitchell sitting on a bed that was pushed up against the wall, with a tennis ball in his hand.

"Hey." she said, lifting her left hand – doing anything with her right would probably make Mitchell sour, considering that arm had survived a bite, and _his_ shoulder wouldn't. Mitchell didn't look at her straight away, instead taking his time to throw the tennis ball at the wall ahead of him. It barely reached and slumped onto the floor weakly, forcing Becca to pick it up and give it back to him.

"You know, I've been doing that for hours." Mitchell told her. "About an hour after I got bit, I was hitting the wall and catching the ball fine. Now I can't even throw it properly because the bite's already kicking in."

Becca took a pew on a seat next to the bed, presumably where Sully had been sitting the whole time. "Where's your brother?" she asked, looking around.

"Taking a shit or something, I don't know." Mitchell grunted, his voice hoarse. Becca looked at his face – his skin was pale, his eyes were sagging and his veins were clearly visible on his forehead. His fringe was matted down with sweat and he was breathing quite heavily. Frankly the sight disturbed her but she held her composure for his sake. His condition was nowhere near as bad as Fuad's had been at the end so he still had quite a while to go before the suffering ended.

"You survived a bite, right?" Mitchell pressed.

Becca gulped before answering. "...Yeah." she told him.

"Good. Good for you." Mitchell groaned. "You know how lucky you are, right? How few people get that chance? How I didn't?"

Becca looked at the floor. "I think about it every day. I have to live with this." She lifted her right hand, which she had applied bandages to the night before, for comfort's sake.

Mitchell's tone became more aggressive. "And I have to die like..." he paused. "No, I'm not gonna get pissy. I'm not gonna do that. That's not how this is gonna go. I called you up here for a reason and that's not it."

"What do you need me to do?" Becca asked.

The teenager's left arm dragged itself across the bed before finding his backpack. He pulled it towards his body with strain and rested it on his thighs before unzipping it and reaching inside. "Might not seem like it but you're really the only one I like besides Em and Sully," he grunted. "I need to give you something and I need to tell you something that I need you to know, for peace of mind."

Becca leaned back on her seat, a concerned look on her face. "Oh, god," she choked, "Are you hitting on me?"

Mitchell smirked until a stream of breath spurted from his nose, causing him to erupt into a chain of painful sounding coughs. Becca winced with every hack until the teenager sat back up in his seat. "Nah, I'm not _hitting on you_. I just need to do this."

The teenager reached into his backpack and retrieved his binoculars. "I've heard that kid you hang around with got her hat from a guy who died, that she wanted to remember him. I know I'm a complete shit and all and people would rather forget me, but do you think she'd keep 'em – to remember?"

Becca nodded and took the binoculars from Mitchell's outstretched hand. "I'll give them to her," she said, "but why didn't you ask her up here instead of me?"

"That's the other part of this," Mitchell groaned, "I can't look at her."

Becca was taken back by the comment. "Why, what did she do?"

"Nothing," Mitchell told her, gravel-throated, "It's my fault. You remember a couple of days ago before we got to Sanctum when I was a dick to you and Sully made me apologise? I said a load of shit that I should've come out with sooner, how I treat everyone like shit because I feel that way. How I did something really bad."

"Yeah..." Becca replied. She was finally getting an answer.

Mitchell took a deep breath, his eyes looking down at his backpack. "I... uh... a long time ago, we were part of a huge, roaming group. Fifty people or more. Benji, me, Em, Kiff, Fuad's family, Iain – Em's dad, and, uh... and my little sister."

Becca's eyes widened. "What? You had a sister?"

"_Had. _Yeah." Mitchell wiped his eyes. "We were all camping in tents pretty early on, barely three months in. No one had ever really killed the dead. No one had really _seen _the dead yet, that's how innocent we all were. I was about... fourteen? I don't know.

"Anyway, our whole family was alive back them; mom and dad, Lucy, Benji and I. Then out of thin air, the dead just showed up without warning – no time to pack up and leave, we just had to fight. Fuad, Kiff and the adults all ran off to deal with it. Mom and dad went too. Never saw them again."

Mitchell took a deep breath before continuing, his voice wavering and breaking as air rushed in and out of his lungs. "After a while, my brother said_ 'I'm gonna go find mom and dad, stay here and look after Lucy' _and he disappeared, leaving me and my twelve-year-old sister behind. We started getting scared that they wouldn't come back, she held onto me like anything and I tried to calm her down but she just kept crying – and sound attracts the dead. We heard walkers outside the tent. I was fucking terrified – I told her I needed to get help, I needed to find Benji. So I did exactly what I did when we were surrounded by dead in that clearing by the gas station – I flaked. I ran for it. I left her behind. She tried to follow me but I was too fast.

"I found Benji, but he never found mom or dad. He told me that I was an idiot for leaving Lucy behind and I said I was sorry, but sorry wasn't good enough. Didn't help matters when we came back and found her bitten on the arm. She was crying, she didn't know what was gonna happen. Benji's face... he just turned to me with this fucking look of complete _loathing _on his face. And Lucy looked at me with tears in her eyes and I could see her asking me 'why did you leave me?"

Mitchell's face fell into his palm as his eyes started streaming. "She died a day later. We didn't know to cut it off, we could've saved her. _I _could've saved her, and I had to live with Fuad and Em and Sully looking at me out of the corners of their eyes with complete disgust on their face because I ran away, and I felt the same way. I let Lucy die, and now I'm getting what I deserve. Now I know how she felt."

He reached into his backpack, choking on tears as he handed Becca a folded piece of paper. "I haven't looked at it in years." He cried. "I don't need to. It's always in my head, all the time. Just... give that to my brother. Give it to Sully."

Becca unfurled the piece of paper and realised it was a photo, not unlike the one she had recovered during the escape from Sanctum of her own family. Pictured in it was a young girl of around twelve, Mitchell's little sister, Lucy. Only now did she realise why Mitchell hadn't spoken to Annie about his binoculars; Lucy looked quite similar to the child. By no means were they related but the resemblance was enough to pain Mitchell whenever he saw her in the corner of his eye.

"She's pretty." Becca said, her thumb lightly gracing the photo as uttered a single phrase to the child depicted in it. "Rest in peace."

Mitchell groaned, before echoing the statement. "Rest in peace."

She held Mitchell's binoculars in one hand and the photograph in the other. Deciding to give the items to their new owners, she stood up and opened the door, exiting the room and leaving Mitchell behind.


	47. In The Past

**Day 970 – Early Morning**

**Annie**

Annie jolted awake as someone violently shook her shoulders. "Annie!" Becca whispered. "Wake up!"

The seven-year-old jolted to her feet and reached for the pistol Hector had left her. "What is it?" she asked, panicked. "Are the bad people here?"

Becca shook her head. "No," she replied, "I need to talk to you about something."

Annie rubbed her eyes and yawned, then placed her hand on her bare head. Ever since she had been given Daniel's hat, her head had felt naked without it. She smiled as Becca passed it to her, sitting down on the sofa next to her. "That hat is part of it, actually," the teenager told her.

"What about it?" Annie questioned, before furrowing her brow. "Is it dirty - does it smell?"

"What? No." Becca stated, her lips creeping into a miniscule smirk. "But you know how you keep the hat to remember Daniel and Lucia, right?"

Annie nodded in confirmation. "I wish I had got something from Fuad and Kiff before they died. I hope I don't forget them."

Becca looked at her feet, avoiding Annie's gaze, "Judging by how Kiff died, I doubt you'll forget it in a hurry."

Frowning, Annie hummed in agreement. The way Silas had elected to kill Kiff was brutal and disgusting. The man's head had been torn apart as a full magazine of bullets found their home there.

"Anyway," Becca told her, "I spoke to Mitchell, and I guess you know by now that he's bitten."

Annie had heard Vince say so during the night, after the group had arrived at the farmhouse. Mitchell had been bitten during the escape and that meant he was going to die fairly soon. She nodded, letting Becca know that she understood the situation.

Becca cleared her throat and then reached into a backpack at her feet. "Well, Mitchell knows that you kept the hat to remember Daniel, and he knows he's going to die, so he told me to give you this." The teenager withdrew Mitchell's binoculars from the pack and handed them to Annie. "He wants you to keep them."

Annie gulped as she took the item. She had barely known Mitchell, but she recalled seeing him using these binoculars on more than one occasion. The teenager was often alone, observing his surrounding on roofs and out of windows.

"If you see him, tell him I said thanks." Annie smiled.

"No problem," Becca nodded, standing up. "If you'll excuse me, I need to find Sully."

Once Becca had left the room, Annie reached for her rucksack. Becca had kept it safe during her escape from Sanctum; the backpack was small enough for the older girl to keep inside her own.

Opening the bag, Annie placed the binoculars inside and felt the back of her hand graze a crumpled piece of paper. Sighing weakly, she closed her eyes and removed the page so that she could study it.

"_annie. Go to the neighbor's house, they'll babysit you if you have nowhere else. You cant come home tonight, im having a friend round for beers because he aint feeling well so stay out of the way._

_if the neighbors dont want to cook nothing then youll just have to not eat tonight. You already ate at school anyway_

_-__ron (dad)"_

Annie's breath wavered as she scanned the note, like always. It had been a couple of weeks since she had last read it and_ years _since she had first found it on the fridge back at home, but she could never shake the feeling of unease she felt whenever she read it. Her father had been a cruel man, maybe not as cruel as the bandits that roamed the world these days or people such as Silas or Shaw, but he had been cruel by the standards of the normal world. Whenever he had been angry with his five-year-old daughter he had resorted to 'teaching her a lesson'. Sometimes he harmed her when things weren't even her fault and he always apologised the following morning. Annie had always been naïve enough to forgive the man while he was sober and would always feel his wrath when he was drunk.

The note she held in her hands was the last remnant of her father, just like Daniel's hat and Mitchell's binoculars. Though she knew what the words meant, it was just about the only thing she could read. Coming into the apocalypse at five years old, Annie's education had been torn away from her and she barely knew anything beyond basic mathematics, reading and writing. She had always taken her father's notes straight to her neighbors and asked them what it said. Those people were kind and were happy to look after her, keen to keep her away from her violent father but too afraid of him to tell the police. She had memorised the words on this particular note as her neighbor had read them to her – she couldn't be sure if what she read was actually what the paper said, she could only assume it was a close enough match.

On the night she had retrieved the note, put it in her jacket pocket and ran over to the neighbors, the outbreak began. When it got to 10pm and the house hadn't received an angry, drunken call from Ron Moore to return his daughter named Annie, her neighbors and their children all bunched together to return her. It was lucky that they did, otherwise she would have been torn apart on the spot when she opened the front door.

The note told her that her father's friend was 'ill'. The man had been bitten and thought nothing of it, and as his health declined Annie's father decided to cheer him up a bit with a few beers and whatnot. Little did Ron Moore know, the virus was fatal and inviting his friend over had resulted in his death. The man had turned and shredded him to pieces while Annie was next door.

When she returned home Annie had screamed for what seemed like hours. Instantly the neighbors thought there had been a murder and after bringing Annie back to their house they called the police, only to receive no reply. They had waited a day or more before realising the dead were rising in the streets, and the family, with Annie in tow, had run to the nearest police station for help.

The next few weeks had been hard, struggling to get by, hiding in their house with no end to the ordeal in sight. Annie had blacked out most of what happened after that; it didn't end well. There was a reason why the neighbor family wasn't with her any more. They were gone.

Annie exhaled deeply through her nostrils, snapping back to reality, and folded the piece of paper up before throwing it violently into the bottom of her bag. She wiped her forehead and lay back down on the couch, crossing her arms in frustration – she didn't _need _to remember her father. She needed to remember good times and good people. Daniel had been a nice man even if he was slightly creeped out by kids, and Mitchell, while not exactly a good person, was nowhere near as bad as her father.

A tear found its way down her cheek but she brutally wiped it off of her face. She didn't need to cry – she was frustrated, not sad, and the tear had made her annoyed with herself. Turning back onto her side Annie buried her face into the cushions of the sofa. Every time she read that note she became agitated and she didn't fully understand why.

She would have to tell Wyatt about it.


	48. Go For It

**Day 970 – Morning**

**Wyatt**

The group had left the farmhouse once they were sure Shaw, Silas and the rest of Sanctum were not lying in wait for them. Vince had insisted that they make a move as early as possible while Sanctum tried to pick up the pieces and recover from the burning of the vast majority of their home.

Walking next to Vince, Wyatt looked over his shoulder and saw the farmhouse fading on the horizon. The rest of the group were behind him – Bonnie was directly behind them with Hector. Sully and Em were next in line, Mitchell staggering between them. Becca and Annie were second from the back while Tyler, Lowell and the hobbling form of Tessa brought up the rear.

"You should apologise to Becca." Vince grumbled, neglecting to turn his head and stare at Wyatt. "She probably feels like shit after you called her 'a lost cause.' She gave Annie a chance out here and look what happened; we're all fine."

"Yeah," Wyatt sighed, looking at his feet as he padded along the ground. "I still think it was a bad idea, but I guess I shouldn't have said some of the shit I did."

"You've got that right." Vince mumbled. "We've all done our fair share of dumb shit, none of us have the right to judge each other. You shot that bandit ages ago, I thought Sanctum was a good idea, Becca made Annie _escape _Sanctum. All of us had good intentions, but that doesn't stop any of those things being stupid."

"You're right." Wyatt told him. "You usually are."

"Less often than you'd think."

Wyatt looked away from Vince and adjusted his glasses. The crack in his right lens was becoming more and more obstructive; soon the glass would break or he would have to knock it out and live with just the left one. That would be a pain as he was incredibly far-sighted.

He kept it in mind to speak to Becca once he had her on her own. For most of the day she had been busy talking to different people, namely Annie, Sully, Em and Mitchell, the last of whom had been getting weaker and weaker following his bite, but that was to be expected. Though the teenager had never been entirely pleasant, Wyatt still felt sorry for him. He was probably going through unimaginable pain, as well as knowing and understanding that once he was gone his brother would be the last surviving member of his family.

"How's Mitchell holding up?" he called, giving Sully a concerned look.

"I'm fine," Mitchell scowled. For once the expression was not due to his scornful attitude, but pain instead. His left hand was pinned to his shoulder as if it had been nailed there.

"If you need to rest, just let us know." Em told him. "_I_ could do with a rest."

"We've... gotta get away from Sanctum. I'll rest when we're in a safer spot." Mitchell's lungs almost exploded as he burst into a painful sounding coughing fit.

Wyatt's eyes fell back on Vince as the man started muttering. "If he keeps coughing it's gonna give away our position to walkers or Sanctum, but there's nothing we can do about it."

Wyatt's hands tightened around the AK47 he had retrieved from Sanctum's armory. If Mitchell started to compromise their safety then he would become a problem. Not one to sentence a seventeen-year-old to death, Wyatt opted not to consider putting Mitchell out of his misery and merely hoped that they just wouldn't run into trouble.

"Town nearby." Hector grunted. The man never said much, but when he did he only said something important. He was not exactly well-versed in conversation, so whenever he spoke more than a few words, he had a tendency to become flustered and kept adding more to his initial discussion points. Perhaps limiting himself to a few words or none at all was his way of preventing himself from waffling.

"We'll need to check that place for supplies. It's always worth a look." Bonnie instructed. Wyatt kept forgetting about her surprise appearance – what were the odds that she would have been going to Sanctum, too? It surprised him even more knowing that Annie had found her during her escape from the settlement. It all seemed a bit weird, but Wyatt couldn't exactly complain. Annie was still alive and he had regained an old friend.

Putting the thoughts to the back of his mind the man looked at the dirt path and focused on the horizon. Soon enough they would arrive at that town and, with any luck, be able to put the thought of Sanctum behind them.

**Day 970 – Mid-morning**

**Wyatt**

The group crept into the town cautiously. Wyatt, Bonnie and Hector raised their assault rifles and scanned their surroundings for signs of bandits, dead or Sanctum's group.

The crew of twelve strolled, staggered and hobbled down the centre of the road as debris and dust was hurled across the street by the mid-spring winds. Hector crept a few steps ahead of the group as they neared a junction and eyed all of the adjoining streets as he panned around. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he turned back to face the group and said, "We're clear."

"All right." Vince announced, turning to face the ten people behind him, "Those who need to rest – Mitchell, Annie, Tessa – do so now. Wyatt, you stay here and make sure they're. Sully and Em should stay here with Mitchell."

Wyatt nodded and eyed the people who were staying behind. "All right, dude," he concurred, "what are _you _planning to do?"

Vince looked at the six who remained unspoken for. "Bonnie, Becca, try and find some extra ammo if you can, anything'll be handy."

"Will do," Bonnie nodded, slinging her firearm over her shoulder as she waved Becca over. "Come on, kiddo."

Becca begrudgingly got to her feet and followed the woman as she set off down the street. Hector turned and muttered "I'm going as well." as he handed Vince his walkie-talkie.

Bewildered but in no mood to argue, Vince paused for a second before instructing Hector to "keep an eye out." Once those three were out of the picture Vince caught Tyler and Lowell's attention. "You two are with me. We're gonna get a decent scope of this town and where the jerks might be coming from."

Lowell nodded without question as Tyler scoffed but didn't dispute the plan. Vince gave everyone a final look and turned away, the two ex-prisoners of Sanctum trailing behind him. Wyatt turned his back on them and watched as Tessa gathered up her crutch and sat down on a bench. Em, who was decidedly still the group's medic despite her lack of qualification or knowledge, checked on the woman. Annie offered Wyatt a concerned look before running over to help.

While those three were busy, Wyatt decided to check on Sully and Mitchell, who were sat on a bench around ten metres away. "How are you holding up, dude?" he asked the younger of the two brothers.

"I'm getting there." Mitchell grumbled. "Kinda finding it hard to focus and I feel like crap, but I can keep going for a while."

Sully leaned forwards and rested his face in his palms. "Damn it." he gasped. "This is too much."

"Look," Mitchell groaned. "I'm here right _now_, and if you want we can just drag out the goodbye as long as we can. Fuad didn't give us that chance, Kiff never had the option."

"You're oddly... philosophical today." Wyatt admitted, his brow creasing. "That's not normal."

"Tell me about it. Probably the bite talking, I don't know."

"Mitchell, I'm sorry." Sully choked. "All that blame I placed on you when what happened... happened, I shouldn't have. You were scared – fuck, it's been killing me that I did exactly what you did yet I had the nerve to blame you for what went down. I left you in the same way you left her. I caused it."

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt asked.

"Shit that happened a long time ago. I've already been through it once today," Mitchell sighed. "Ask Becca, preferably when I'm not around, 'cause I don't want to hear it all again." he turned his head, the movement causing pain as he strained his shoulder, and looked at his brother. "Look, man, if you blame yourself you'll just end up like I did. Just... forget about it, but don't forget about her. Or me. Blame it on me when I'm dead if it makes things easier."

Sully sat back up and ruffled his younger brother's hair. "It took history repeating itself for me to come to terms with it. Fuck, I'm sorry... I'm a terrible brother. Still, there were good times, though, right?"

Mitchell grinned slightly. "No, there weren't."

The Sullivan brothers shared a half-hearted chuckle before reverting back to being depressed at the situation at hand. Sully rested his chin in his palm and his elbow on the arm rest of the bench, tilting to stare at Em across the way. "I feel bad for her, y'know? I feel like a burden because I'm sad about Mitchell and I'm dragging her into it. She's had no time to cope with Kiff, and that isn't right."

Mitchell tilted his head back and emitted a bored, exasperated sigh. "_GODDDDD._" He groaned hoarsely, dragging out the word. "Will you just ask her out already? Everyone knows you like her."

Sully's head span around to glare at his brother. "Wait, what? No, I-" he looked to Wyatt for support but caught the bearded man smirking and nodding. "It's not hard to see." he chuckled.

Mitchell patted his older brother's shoulder. "Come on, man," he mumbled, "Talk to her while I'm still about. Let me do _something _good before I die."

"Worth a try, dude." Wyatt added, "You've fought the dead, walked miles and escaped an screwed up settlement, you can do this no problem."

Sully's demeanor changed with Wyatt's words. His limbs stiffened and he became steely-faced. Placing his hands on the bench and pushing himself to his feet, he nodded to both Wyatt and Mitchell and then strolled over to Emily confidently.

Mitchell waited for his brother to leave before speaking again. "Fucking idiot." He joked. "Couldn't see it even though it was right under his nose."


	49. On The Rooftops

**Day 970 – Mid-Morning**

**Vince**

Lowell and Tyler lagged behind as Vince led them down the centre of a street. The air was warm and the weather was mild, though dark clouds were forming overhead; Vince's coat was becoming more and more of a problem by the day. Within the next week or so it would be stuffed into his backpack, only to resurface at the end of the year.

Vince heard an irritating scraping noise as Tyler's fingers found their way against the raw, red flesh around his eye. It must have been a nightmare to live with for over two months in the dark. Ignoring the fact that Tyler was permanently in a trance of frustration, Vince ducked into an alleyway and began climbing the steel steps that led to the roof of the adjoining building. As he emerged on the roof of the building he heard the two men struggling to follow. Lowell was apparently losing his balance with only one arm to use as a support and Tyler was trying to push past him. Eventually, however, the two men managed to find their way up.

Vince looked to the west, the direction they had come from. The farmhouse was no longer visible, though he could just about make out the green sea of trees that formed the forest around Sanctum, as well as a tower of white smoke which he attributed to the fire Hector had started at the settlement. He wasn't sure but he seemed to remember that if smoke was black, the fire was still burning – the white cloud above the settlement meant that Shaw and the rest had taken control of the situation.

"With any luck most of 'em died in that." Lowell remarked. "If I get a hold of any of them they'll wish they did."

Tyler scoffed. "What are you gonna do? Strangle 'em with one hand?"

"You only need one arm to shoot a pistol, genius."

Vince was already sick of their banter. "Calm down," he grunted. "I need your eyes as well as mine, we need to make sure no one's coming."

"You should've picked someone other than me, then," Tyler smirked, gesturing to his sealed eyelid.

"I needed two people, you guys didn't need to rest and I wasn't going to leave you unattended so that I could bring Wyatt." Vince explained, "Now do me a favour and just scan the area for any sign of Sanctum and tell me if you see anything. Our safety depends on this."

Tyler groaned, tilting his head back like a child and slouching. He staggered across to one side of the roof, crossed his arms and opted to stare to the north.

"Not there!" Vince hissed, "Find some cover! If they spot you, you're completely exposed!"

As Tyler searched for a more suitable place to stand, Lowell crouched behind a large air conditioning unit and looked to the south. "We won't hear them coming," the one-armed man warned, "They're gonna want to be as sneaky as possible."

"Why are we even going this way?" Tyler moaned. "Indiana is to the west, not the east. We're going in the wrong direction."

"We need to make sure that Sanctum thinks we're going this way before we double back and head for Indiana. We're more likely to lose them that way." Vince told them. "It's not like we're in a rush, we need supplies as well."

"Fair 'nough." Tyler muttered. "Been a _long _time since I've been on a supply run. Fuck, it was early days back at Howe's as far as I remember, when we were dealing with bandits and shit. Bill took care of 'em – that was back when he was a nice guy, too. We all circled the fuckers while they were trying to get into the camp and they almost crapped themselves."

Lowell snorted. "Yeah," he grinned, "I remember that. Barely a couple of months into this shit, wasn't it? That was the point where we realised we were in this for the long haul. When people started turning on each other rather than the dead."

"When Bill started scaring me too." Tyler admitted. "After that run in with the bandits he kinda got a bit messed up – then later on he came back for a while, but only till he started losing it with Luke."

"Kinda glad we got out of there," Lowell said, "I'm not gonna lie. Wish I hadn't near starved to death and had my arm cut off but now I feel like I'm unchained. Kinda... mellow."

Vince scratched his bearded chin. "Can't say the same for Tyler here. From what I've heard, he's just angry all the time."

"Not even gonna argue with that." Tyler agreed. "Might have to get that redhead to check my eye out or see if Bonnie'll bring back anything for it. Painkillers or something." He rubbed his torn up face again. "Damn, it just hurts so much."

"Hearing you constantly complaining makes me glad I only lost an arm." Lowell smirked. "Healed up fine, just gotta deal with having a stump for the rest of my life now."

"Lucky bastard." Tyler growled. "I need a missing eye like I need a hole in the head."

Lowell chuckled loudly. "You got both in one."

Tyler sighed, irritated. "Shut the fuck up. How long do we have to stay here for?"

Vince stared into the face of his watch. "I don't know – maybe till noon? Keep an eye out for Bonnie's group, when they come back we'll all regroup."

"She's with that Hector guy, huh?" Tyler muttered. "I don't trust him. How do we know he isn't just gonna switch back to Sanctum's side if they catch up to us? He's got no ties with us, but he's known _them _for ages."

"You saw him shooting at that woman, right?" Lowell asked, referring to Sonja, "If that wasn't him filing for divorce, I don't know what was."


	50. The Supply Hunt

**Day 970 – Mid-Morning**

**Becca**

Becca lagged behind as Bonnie led their splinter group down one of the many streets in this small, contained town. As far as the teenager could tell, there was only one road in and one road out of the district and the rest of the place was surrounded by woodland. It was nice and secluded.

"I... understand what you did." Bonnie announced. For a second she thought the statement was directed at herself, but later realised that Bonnie was talking to Hector. "I did... I'd do the same. Bet ya couldn't take much more there, huh?"

Hector shook his head and looked at the ground. "Had to go," he told her, "after what they did."

Bonnie was perplexed. "What did they do? I've been hearin' that they operated on people; did they take anythin' from you?"

The ex-Sanctum guard hesitated before giving his answer. "They lost track of what they were doing. They're not operating on people to find a cure any more, they're just cutting people up and asking questions later. They're screwing with peoples' lives now and the Director doesn't care."

"That's the most I've heard you say in a while." Becca grumbled, causing both adults ahead of her to jolt in shock, forgetting that Becca had been there.

"I guess he's passionate about it." Bonnie shrugged. "I would be." The red-headed woman changed the subject by directing them towards a convenience store at the corner of the road. Hector crouched by the front door, scanning the inside of the shop for walkers or humans before deciding it was safe. When he was certain, he plowed the stock of his weapon into the glass above the handle and reached inside to open the door.

The group of three crept into the darkness, searching for supplies. Bonnie remained by the door to check outside as Hector and Becca delved deeper. Taking her backpack off of her shoulders, Becca unzipped it and started cramming the few tinned food items she could find inside. She found a few packaged items too and threw them in – she'd check the expiration dates when they had more time.

Hector was doing the same with water bottles and other fluids. Shuffling down the aisle he caught sight of a counter and ducked behind it, only to stand up again with a carton of cigarettes and a packaged lighter in his hand. He put the carton down on the counter before tearing the lighter free of its plastic bed, flicking it once to make sure it worked. Once he was certain he opened the cigarette packet and lit one, before putting it into his mouth.

"That's the stuff," he muttered through his half-closed lips. He crept towards the doorway and offered Bonnie the packet before ducking outside and into the sunlight. The woman took one of the small cylinders furtively before lighting it up.

Becca stared at the two adults scornfully as they enjoyed their little smoking session. "I never understood what's so good about those things," she muttered, "Why does everyone feel so happy after they smoke?"

Hector looked at her, asking "Want to try one?"

The teenager hesitated and then shook her head – how would Shel or her parents react if they were around to know that she took up smoking at fifteen years old? "No thanks." she mumbled, slightly embarassed.

"People smoke because it's an escape, Becca," Bonnie explained, facing the opposite side of the street as she sat on the steps leading up to the store. "It helps get rid of stress, and we've had enough of that these past couple days."

Hector readjusted his backpack as Bonnie passed him the lighter and the carton of cigarettes before closing her finger and thumb around the tube in her mouth.

"The bitten kid might want one," Hector suggested, "Or the one-eyed guy."

"Yeah," Bonnie exhaled, a cloud of white escaping her mouth. "They both seem plenty stressed."

"We have what we came for," Becca announced, "Should we go back?"

Bonnie reached for her belt and retrieved her walkie talkie. "I'd better tell Vince." she said. As she raised the device to her lips Hector held out his arm and gave her a concerned look. "Be careful," he warned, "Sanctum might be listening in on Vince; he's got _my _radio and it's still on their frequency."

"They haven't said anything since Silas called last night." Becca replied. "Wouldn't they have done that by now?"

"You never know with Silas or Shaw. Both of them are clever people, so watch what you say."

Bonnie nodded and pressed the button to transmit. "Vince, you there?"

It took a second for the man to reply. "Yeah, what's up?"

"We've got some food_. _Should we... meet up?"

Vince sighed. "You're acting weird."

Hector snatched the radio from Bonnie's grasp. "I just realised Silas might be on the line," he muttered, "So don't mention any details. Doesn't matter if we know he's onto us, just don't leak any info, all right?"

"Right." Vince replied. "_Your _group should check for ammo or food. See if your 'new friends' can help you with that."

Becca gave Bonnie a concerned look. "New friends?" she whispered, "What?"

"He's lyin'" Bonnie informed her. "So if they're listening they won't know how many of us there are. Keeping them confused is pretty useful."

"All right," Hector grunted, "We'll see what they have to say." He lifted his thumb off of the button on the radio and handed it back to Bonnie, who slid it into her belt. The two adults raised their weapons as Becca adjusted her backpack and they headed down the street.

"I'm surprised Sanctum didn't loot this place already," Becca remarked. "Surely they'd need to look for supplies?"

Hector shook his head. "They've been sitting on a stockpile for a long time. When Shaw started the place up as a community you had to contribute enough supplies or you'd be turned away."

Becca scowled. "So they wouldn't let in a starving old man, just because they didn't have supplies?"

"Oh, they'd let _him_ in, but he'd be put 'to better use'... he'd get sent right to the doctors."

"Assholes." Becca grunted dismissively.

She saw a puff of smoke as Hector exhaled and grinned. "Now you know why I left. I just needed the right people to keep me alive afterwards, and it turns out you were the lucky ones. The one-eyed fella's group wasn't big enough or strong enough. Sounds harsh, but I wasn't willing to risk myself for them. Then I saw that your group had five adults and I knew you were the right folks."

Becca gasped, realising Hector had indirectly caused Stan's death. "You... _dick!" _She snarled. "You let people _die _for self-preservation!"

Hector turned around to face her, halting in his tracks. "Yeah, and _you_ owe me your life."

"How do you figure that?"

"Who _risked _their life to burn Sanctum to the ground? Who stole supplies to pass to Bonnie and the kid? Who let you out of the cell knowing that Silas could turn the corner at any moment?" He leaned forward, his eyes now level with Becca's as he unintentionally puffed smoke into her face. "Me." He told her. "I did. You owe me your life."

"Come on, guys." Bonnie ordered, fed up with their bickering. "We're fightin' Sanctum, not each other."

Hector huffed, his eyes locked on Becca's as he drew himself back up to his full height and ashed his cigarette. He offered her an aggressive stare before finally turning away and leading the small group down the street again.

Becca squinted at his backpack. She would have to keep an eye on him.


	51. A Sorry Sight

**Day 970 – Late Morning**

**Annie**

Annie sat cross-legged on the same bench as Tessa, grabbing hold of the tips of her feet and rocking backwards and forwards. She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, she was simply occupying herself in the way that her childish mind wanted her to.

The one-legged woman was watching her, smiling. Annie knew she was being observed but she chose to ignore it because she was concentrating so hard on tipping back and forth, balancing on her backside.

Tessa's presence felt... warm. Annie couldn't put her finger on what it meant, but she accepted the woman quite easily. She didn't act like a mother to Annie, though she did jokingly act like she was the adoptive mother of Tyler and Lowell – she was younger than the two men, but by far more mature.

Emily had been tending to Tessa until Sully turned up, stuttering and asking to speak to her. Em had been easily dragged away from the medic job that had been inflicted on her regardless of her lack of skill and the two were currently speaking on the other side of the road. Annie had observed them from afar for a while, watching as Sully shifted uneasily from scratching the back of his head to crossing his arms. Emily couldn't decide where to place her hands or her eyes; her left palm kept moving from her right wrist to her shoulder, then she would put her hands behind her back and rock back and forth on the balls of her feet, all the while meeting Sully's gaze and then avoiding it quite sharply.

Annie couldn't for the life of her work out what was going on.

Mitchell and Wyatt were watching too, both chuckling and grinning, the former coughing harshly every half minute or so. Annie was worried that Mitchell's time was running out.

Tessa caught Annie looking at the teenager. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly, "It sounds harsh but there's nothing you can do to help, don't think you could have done more."

Annie looked at the woman. "I'm scared that he'll turn and no one will realise. Who'll stop him?"

Tessa shrugged. "Not me, and certainly not you. One of the others will figure it out, I'm sure. I doubt either of my boys will do it, it'll probably be one of yours or the boy's older brother if he's up to it." Tessa turned her head to look back at Sully and grinned. "Though he's pre-occupied right now."

"What are they talking about?" Annie asked. "Why are they so nervous?"

"You've got a lot to learn, peanut," the woman chuckled, "I haven't known them for long, but I can tell that they've been thinking about this for a long while; neither of them had the courage to say anything. Maybe there was some confusion about how they thought they saw each other."

Annie fiddled with her pockets and pulled out some lint. Holding it in front of her eyes, she squinted. Due to her stunted education she had never really learned much about mathematics, let alone relationships. "Are they gonna make a baby?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Wha-? No!" Tessa laughed, leaning forwards and wiping her brow. Once she had calmed down she sat back in her seat and told Annie "Something like that. Boy, you're delightful."

"Boy?" Annie frowned. "I'm a girl!"

Tessa shrugged. "It's a saying. Have you not heard it before?"

Annie exhaled in irritation and crossed her arms. "I don't know." Her eyes fell back on Sully and Emily – the two were walking away from each other. Sully was walking back to Mitchell and Wyatt while Em was moving in Annie and Tessa's direction.

"How'd it go?" Tessa asked. "Are you... together now?"

"They just walked away from each other, didn't you see?" Annie remarked, but the two adults ignored her. Emily crossed her arms, gripping her elbows and holding them close to her chest. "I don't know," the red-headed woman answered, looking at the ground. "He took me off-guard. I've been thinking about my Uncle a lot at the moment. I told him I'd think about it."

"I suppose he'll let you have your space if you've got other things on your mind." Tessa replied, looking at Sully, who had slumped on the other bench with his head in his hands.

"He probably thinks I said 'no,'" Emily muttered, "And now he's thinking about Mitchell, too. Oh, god, what have I done?" She started walking towards Sully but Tessa grabbed her wrist.

"You might do more harm than good." The woman told her. "Let him be for a while, let him get his head together. Give it time."

Em leaned against the wall to the side of the bench, wiping her eyes with her forefinger and thumb. "I'm an idiot." she muttered.

They were distracted by a flicker to their right, just past the corner of a building. Assuming that something was coming from the adjoining street, Annie reached for her backpack which contained her pistol as Wyatt leaped up and aimed his rifle in that direction only to sigh with relief when Vince, Tyler and Lowell rounded the corner.

"We've got a problem." Vince informed them. "Lowell spotted walkers moving into the town. No more than ten, but we need to make a move before they start tracking us; it'll be a problem if anyone from Sanctum spots them while they have our scent." The man paused and looked around. "Where's Bonnie's group?"

"They haven't come back yet," Tessa told him, "But if we move in the direction they were going in we should be able to pick them up on the way."

Vince gauged the group's reactions and nodded as they agreed with Tessa's plan. "Then that's what we'll do." he commanded, turning to set off in the direction that Bonnie's group had traveled in earlier that day.

Annie hopped off of her seat and watched Lowell help Tessa get her bearings. Once the woman was standing on her foot and crutch the one-armed man helped her start walking before she shrugged him off, determined to travel without help.

As Wyatt, Vince, Tyler, Lowell and Tessa began walking down the street, Sully and Mitchell walked past Em, the older brother offering her a solemn, saddened look. The woman caught his eye for a moment and then looked at her feet. Once the man had passed her, Em pushed herself away from the brick wall she had been leaning on and halfheartedly beckoned for Annie to keep up. Annie ran up next to the woman and watched as her placed her hands in the pockets of her blue jacket, her shoulders sagging and her head hanging.

Annie looked away from Emily for a second before deciding that the woman needed help; her Uncle had died not too long ago and she had not had an appropriate amount of time to deal with it. The seven-year-old raised her hand and lightly touched Em's wrist, causing the woman to jolt in shock slightly. Realising it was Annie, Emily turned and smiled slightly before reverting back to her depressive state.

There wasn't much else Annie could do to help other than let Emily know she was there for her. She was only a kid and didn't have a whole lot of experience helping other people cope with grief, but she did feel bad that the woman's bereavement was being ignored by the vast majority of the group; Sully had tried to help but as far as Annie could tell he and Emily had just had some form of fall-out, meaning they would want their space and Sully would no longer be able to support his friend.

Emily needed to know that someone cared, and Annie decided to be that person.

The group slowed to a halt as they spotted three people ahead of them. Becca, Hector and Bonnie slowed to a halt ahead of them as they were greeted by the group.

"What'd you get?" Vince asked as the trio fell into place.

"Food, water, a few bits of ammo but not much." Bonnie told him.

"Should we split it now?" Wyatt asked, reaching out to one of the three.

Hector shook his head, speaking through a partially closed mouth. "It'd be safer if we waited until we were in a safer spot. Right now we're sitting ducks in the middle of a small down."

"Are you smoking?" Tyler grunted, looking at the man who had betrayed Sanctum. Hector nodded and then offered the ex-prisoner a cigarette, but the man swatted it away. "I don't need shit from you." He growled, barging past the guard. Hector was left in the dust for a moment as he retrieved the carton of cigarettes and slid them into his back pocket. He adjusted his backpack and assault rifle – both of which were slung loosely over his shoulders – and caught up to the back of the group, scowling. Annie assumed that if he were more conversational he would have been muttering under his breath.

"Come on," Vince said, shooting Tyler a concerned glance, "We need to put a decent amount of space between us and this place. Hopefully the trail will go cold."


	52. Step Too Far

**Day 970 – Late Morning**

**Wyatt**

The group had left the town via a small forest path that was slightly overgrown. It was hard to spot and would put more space between them and Sanctum with any luck.

Wyatt had resumed his place at the front of the group with Vince. Bonnie and Becca were just behind them, Tyler, Lowell and Tessa in the middle, Sully and Mitchell further back followed by Emily and Annie with Hector bringing up the rear.

"I'm still looking back on yesterday and thinking about how smoothly it all went." Vince muttered.

Wyatt shrugged, raising his rifle slightly. "We were long overdue for 'easy', dude. It's about damn time something went well."

Vince nodded in concurrence and kept marching onwards. The terrain was slowly going uphill, a fenced-off ditch to their right side and trees on their left, sticking out of the main hill, hanging over the road. The group's leader paused for a second and stared further down the road. Nothing was moving as far as Wyatt could tell, but Vince warned everyone to hang back just in case.

Wyatt trailed the man for about five seconds before the latter crouched over a dead walker. "Look at this." Vince told him.

"What?" Wyatt asked, unable to see a problem. "Just a dead walker, man. No big deal."

Vince placed his machete on the ground and pushed the walker onto its stomach, revealing a gash in the back of it's head. "This is the problem." he remarked, pointing to the injury that had killed the creature. "This is recent. It's only been dead for a couple of hours, a day at max."

"How can you tell?" Wyatt pressed. "There's no way we can be sure, dude."

"The point where it was taken out is still leaking stuff," Vince told him. "It's not rotted away, either. Someone either went the same way as us or they went the opposite way – they might've stabbed this walker because a gunshot would let us know they were here. We should keep our guard up in case it's Sanctum."

"Could be bandits," Wyatt suggested, "Or another group."

Vince nodded. "Could be, it's worth being cautious." He got back to his feet, raised his machete and gave the group clearance to approach via a brief wave. The group reformed and continued their journey uphill, following the ridge as it curved around.

The group started slowing as they reached a flat platform halfway up. Tessa and Mitchell were lagging behind, prompting Sully to ask whether they could stop. "Can we slow down?" he asked, "We need rest."

Vince nodded. "Alright," he said, "but keep an eye out."

Sully helped Mitchell sit down, then crossed his arms and glanced briefly in Emily's direction before frowning to himself. Wyatt waited with Vince as the others made themselves comfortable, looking for Annie to make sure that she was okay. He saw her with Emily and decided to leave the child be.

Vince was standing at the edge of the platform, leaning on a barrier and staring out onto the town below. Wyatt watched Becca sidle up next to the man and opted not to join them given the tension between Becca and himself.

"Why the long face?" someone asked. Wyatt turned and saw Bonnie striding towards him, a warm smile on her face as she gripped the M4 Hector had given her. "Out of everyone I met, I expected you to be the one who always stayed hopeful."

"I don't know about that." Wyatt shrugged. "People change."

"Not you, Wyatt. You're too set in your ways." Bonnie raised her index finger and poked him in the chest. "I changed, but I like to think it was for the better. You're already good; you don't need to change."

Wyatt wasn't so sure. "Back when we were trapped in Sanctum, Becca helped Annie escape. Once we were all herded back inside I got so mad at her. I yelled at her and called her some awful things." He pressed his palm to his face. "I regret it, I do, but she shouldn't have sent a kid out on her own. That's just not right." He looked at Bonnie for support. "Am I wrong?"

Bonnie paused, chewing her lip and then decided on an answer. "I don't know much about kids, but you seem like you've got a genuine attachment to that little girl." she told him, looking over his shoulder and watching Annie. "I don't blame you, she's kinda... cute. I don't know. If you want to support her enough to have a fall out with Becca, that means you really care. That ain't something wrong in my book."

Wyatt still wasn't convinced, so Bonnie slung her weapon over her shoulder and held her arms out wide. "Come on," she smirked, "bring it in, big guy."

Wyatt groaned as the thin woman wrapped her arms around him, pinning his hands to his sides. They had never really been very close, but being through so much with someone, losing them and finding them months later was bound to tie them together. Wyatt smiled as the woman let go and adjusted her weapon before turning and walking away as if nothing had happened.

"Thanks, Bonnie."

The woman paused, but didn't turn to look at him. "Yup."

Wyatt watched as the woman walked over to talk to Sully, then span around in shock as he heard shouting; Tyler screaming "Say that again, asshole!"

As he looked over his shoulder Wyatt saw Tyler shoving Hector backwards. Hector's hands were pinned to his sides and his face was a mask of concentration, trying not to retaliate.

"Come on!" Tyler snarled. "Tell everybody!"

Hector looked around at the group as they turned to face him, only to be pushed backwards again by Tyler. He remained quiet, saying nothing.

"_This motherfucker," _Tyler announced, punctuating his words with a harsh chuckle, "cycled through all of the people in Sanctum, waiting for the right ones who could keep him alive. He let all those people die because he didn't think they were good enough, and guess what? He never came to rescue me or Lowell or Tessa. We weren't good enough for him."

Hector stared at the floor but turned his head towards Tyler. "That's not what I said. I said you weren't capable of supporting yourselves out here. You were safer from the walkers in Sanctum. You're all missing crucial features that make it so that you can survive against the dead."

"That's because _you didn't tell us what Sanctum was doing!_" Tyler yelled, shoving his palm into the man's chest. Hector kept staggering backwards with each hit, but no one was doing anything about it. They were all just watching in awe.

Hector bared his teeth. "You should back off."

"Do as he says." Vince ordered.

"Are you _listening?!" _Tyler screeched. "This asshole is no better than any of the others from Sanctum – he's in it for himself. Fuck, he's exactly the same!"

Tyler jolted back as Hector shoved him. The ex-prisoner paused, hunched over,for a second until the muscles beneath his eyelid began to twitch and he started drawing in breath. Hector stopped moving, too, his eyes held on Tyler as the man raised his right hand. Not knowing what was coming Hector was hit in the face by Tyler's fist as the man sprung into action.

The ex-Sanctum guard took a few wobbly steps backwards and then regained his composure. Tyler ran at him again, too fast for Emily who tried to grab him by the shoulders. Hector wiped his bleeding nose on his sleeve as Vince tried to get between him and his assailant, but he shrugged the man off and charged at him.

Tyler's next attack was slow and sluggish, a punch with the same fist he had used previously. Hector ducked as the man swung at him and planted his own fist in the man's stomach, winding him. Vince got back to his feet again and tried to separate them but Hector shoved him away again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bonnie growled, "Cool it!"

The two brawlers ignored her as Tyler thrust his kneecap into Hector's groin causing him to hunch over, then elbowed him in the back. Hector collapsed and Tyler tried to kick his stomach but the man reached up and grabbed his ankle with both hands.

With a swift tug, Hector pulled Tyler forwards, knocking him off balance. As Tyler fell flat on his back Wyatt tried to intervene only to be stopped by Annie who ran towards him in a panic. He caught the child, crouching and wrapping his arms around her back as she buried her face in his chest. Ensuring that she wasn't watching the fight, Wyatt opted to take care of her and let someone else deal with Hector and Tyler.

Now that Tyler was on his back, he was at Hector's mercy. The ex-guard had only said one thing during the whole exchange and now he was straddled over Tyler, sitting on his chest as he repeatedly punched the one-eyed man in the face. Wyatt looked over to Mitchell and Sully, both of whom were hanging back. Sully had seen this before; he had been part of a similar fight with Fuad not long ago.

Once again Vince and Emily tried to pry Hector off of Tyler, but he wasn't going to go easily. Surprisingly neither Lowell or Tessa had tried to intervene, instead standing and sitting respectively with solemn looks on their faces as they watched Tyler being beaten half to death.

As he stroked the back of Annie's head to comfort her, Wyatt turned and saw Bonnie sighing as she trained her rifle on Hector's back. It was a clear shot. If she fired everyone for five miles would hear it.

Wyatt didn't want to see anyone die. He let go of Annie in an instant and leaped up, giving her a reassuring look as he darted for Bonnie. The woman was prepared to shoot Hector to save Tyler's life, but her face was a mask of sadness; she didn't want to kill anyone.

Wyatt yelled and caught Bonnie's attention. She turned to look at him and her eyes widened when she saw him sprinting directly at her. He held out his palms and charged the woman, shoving her arms out of the way so that she wouldn't shoot anyone, but Bonnie's reflexes kicked in and she flinched, causing her to pull the trigger. Six gunshots fired off, echoing all around the valley below them.

Losing his balance, Wyatt collapsed to the ground. His head connected with the packed dirt quite harshly as his vision swayed and span. Judging by the concentration of survivors in the area, someone must have been hit, but who?


	53. Bridging The Gap

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Vince**

Vince was stunned by the six gunshots that resonated through the air. For a split second he thought he had been shot but as he calmed down he felt nothing – he couldn't feel what he had eight days ago when Becca had shot him.

At least the shots had snapped Hector out of his spell. Vince let go of the man, who had now loosened up, and got to his feet. Hector slowly pulled himself off of Tyler, who lay on the ground twitching and bleeding. As far as he could tell Tyler was still alive.

Vince turned around. Bonnie was standing with a shocked look on her face as Wyatt lay on the ground. Instantly Vince leapt into action, running over to the fallen man and rolling him onto his back. "Is he hit?" he asked, looking to Bonnie for support.

"No- I – I don't think so! The bullets went into the air!" she replied.

She was telling the truth. Wyatt wasn't bleeding, but it looked like he and Bonnie had been fighting over her weapon. "He tried to stop her shooting Hector!" Becca called, dashing over to them and checking Wyatt. Annie joined them as well as Hector looked over his shoulder and shot Bonnie a betrayed glance.

Wyatt groaned, stirring. "Hey, man," Vince muttered, "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Wyatt replied, sitting up and rubbing his forehead, "just a bit... dizzy. What were you thinking, Bonnie?"

"I had to stop 'em somehow. I didn't know what else to do!" Bonnie panicked. "Jesus Christ. I'm sorry, Hector."

"Not as sorry as me." The ex-guard grunted, staring at Tyler. The one-eyed man was being helped up by Lowell and Emily. He had apparently survived Hector's attacks.

Thunder rumbled over head and rain started dripping from the sky. Vince hoped that they would find shelter before the worst of it.

"That gunshot's gonna have rang out for miles..." Bonnie sighed, looking at the sky. "I tried to help, I did, but it went wrong, just like it always does."

Vince helped Wyatt to his feet and them placed his hands on Bonnie's shoulders. "You tried, okay? That's fine. At least you did something instead of just watching. Now, come on, we need to get out of here."

Becca gulped. "Yeah, about that..."

Walkers were emerging from the trees. Apparently they had been lurking in the foliage but had been attracted to Tyler's shouting or the shots Bonnie had fired. "Shit," he growled, "How many are there?"

Bonnie squinted. "Looks to be about twenty..." she raised her rifle but Vince pushed it so that it was pointed to the ground. "We don't want to attract attention," he warned her, "Get Wyatt, Becca and Annie away from here, I'll deal with this."

"I can't let you," Bonnie told him, "Not alone."

"I won't be alone." Vince said, shooting a glance at Hector. The man groaned and tilted his head backwards, but did not argue. Bonnie nodded and made sure the three she had been ordered to look after were with her before making a run for it.

Emily and Sully rushed past, Mitchell between them with one arm over each of their shoulders. "I can stay too." Em announced.

"No, you go - get Mitchell to safety." Vince ordered. Em nodded and continued walking with Mitchell and Sully as Tyler, Tessa and Lowell caught up to them.

Vince looked at Hector, then at the walkers. Retrieving his machete he took a few steps forward and slammed it into a revenant's head. Hector joined him and batted another member of the dead with his assault rifle.

Dead were pouring out of the trees; twenty-five or so of them. Some were slipping in the mud, falling down the sides of the hill. That would be a problem for the retreating members of the group as walkers would meet them as they ran to escape.

The dirt squished beneath Vince's feet as the rain became more intense. He pulled his hood up and threw his arm forwards to kill another walker, then slipped backwards slightly – the ground was bare, no grass covering it. He slaughtered another walker and noticed Hector struggling to stay upright. "Fuck," he growled, "The ground... this isn't gonna work, man."

Hector looked at him and nodded. They backed away from the walkers and headed back to the slope that followed the hill down. They may have been backtracking, but it was worth doing if it saved their lives

Vince turned his back on the dead and made sure the coast was clear as Hector backed down, eyes on the walkers. It was dangerous for Sanctum's traitor to be walking backwards but he needed to be sure that the walker's weren't going to slip on the mud and slide further down.

"Take care of that for a second!" Vince commanded. "I've got to see if anyone else is in trouble!"

Hector's head jerked around, displaying a fearful expression on his face. He wasn't comfortable with being left on his own to deal with fifteen walkers but he didn't have a chance to argue.

Dashing down the slope Vince rounded a corner, only stopping to slice at a walker that had fallen off of the hill and landed on the path leading down. He saw three figures taking cover under a large, wooden roof which formed a bridge over a dip in the terrain. The roof was held up by four wooden shafts and opened out onto a balcony with a few sets of chairs and tables. As he ran towards it he jerked to the left in shock as a walker fell down the hill and lunged for it.

Turning Vince stamped the walker's head into the mud, causing it's bottom jaw to collapse under the pressure of his attack as it was forced into the ground. Once the creature was disabled Vince dashed for cover on the bridge, recognising the three figures as Sully, Em and Mitchell.

"Where are they?" he panted. "Where are the others? Becca? Annie?"

Sully shrugged and ignored him, tending to his brother who was suffering a major coughing fit. Em, however, pointed further down the path, past the bridge where they were taking cover. "They kept going, I don't know if they stopped, but we can't get through because of the walkers. Where's Hector?"

Vince looked over his shoulder and saw Hector fending off walkers around ten metres behind them all. "He needs help," he looked at Emily. "I need to find the others, can you help him?"

Em nodded. "On it." She opened her backpack and withdrew her hammer. She threw her pack over her shoulder and then charged to Hector's aid. Vince turned to find the others but Sully called out to him. "You're just gonna leave us here?"

Vince turned back to face him. "Yeah, I need to find the others. Just wait here, I'll be back."

"You can't go down there, there's too many of them. Even if you _do _get past what happens if they start coming this way?"

"Look..." Vince stuttered, realising he couldn't leave Sully alone to defend his brother. "...Fuck." He crouched in front of Mitchell. "Mitchell, can you walk?"

Mitchell looked at him with a vague expression on his face. It looked as if he was drugged or tired, but the teenager managed to listen. He stood up uneasily and wobbled, losing his balance. Sully put his arm around his younger brother's shoulders and supported him, looking over his shoulder. "What about Em?" he asked, "I'm not leaving her on her own."

Vince groaned, then called out to the duo who were fending off walkers. "EM! HECTOR!" He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Fall back!"

Hector turned on a dime and started sprinting in Vince's direction, with Emily close behind. Vince, Sully and Mitchell began walking across the bridge as the other two attempted to catch up with walkers close behind. As the three men shuffled across, Vince heard a worrying creak beneath his feet. "Come on," he warned them, "We need to keep moving."

They almost reached the edge of the bridge as Emily and Hector caught up, but the walkers were there with them. Hector swiveled round and batted one of them away, but they were too tightly packed to force back.

The creaking came again, louder this time. The bridge had not been maintained for three years and the wood was presumably rotting away. "Come on," Vince ordered, "Keep moving."

The five of them all turned to run as the creaking became louder and lower. Vince crossed the threshold and made it out into the rain as the bridge snapped behind them, but lost his footing as it cracked and disappeared, forcing him onto the other side. Sully and Mitchell hit the ground next to him, but the other two were not so lucky.

"EMILY!" Sully screamed, turning and running back to the portion of the bridge that was still standing. As Mitchell righted himself in a feverish haze, Vince followed him, worried that the bridge might break.

Sully dropped to his knees and Vince assumed the man had spotted Emily's and Hector's corpses at the bottom of the ditch but he was surprised to witness Sully lie on his chest and thrust his arm downward. As he looked over the edge Vince saw Emily holding on for dear life as walkers reached for her feet. Hector was standing on the fallen portion of the bridge at the bottom of the trench.

"Hold on, Em!" Sully cried, "I'm gonna get you up, okay? Just reach for my hand!" He thrust his hand downwards, trying to reach Em, but as the woman tried to get a grip her fingertips only managed to brush against his. Attempting to push herself up with only one hand caused her to drop and swing quite dramatically as Sully gasped and tried to push himself further down, gasping "_N-No!_"

No matter how hard he tried, Sully could not reach his friend. In a last ditch attempt, he turned around and put one of his legs over the edge. Vince ran over and dragged him back onto the platform by the shoulders, screaming "What are you doing? Are you _insane?!"_

Sully scowled at him. "I'm not giving up. If I can't lift her, I'm going down to help."

"Think this through!" Vince growled, looking over the edge. Maybe Hector would be able to reach her. "Hector!" Vince called, "can you push Em up?"

Hector looked up from where he was standing. The debris he was standing on was keeping him away from the walkers but he'd have to sacrifice his own safety to ensure Em's. As he made his way to the edge of his platform Vince noticed that the man was limping and had no weapon. Looking down Hector's face fell as he saw ten walkers reaching for him. He sighed and looked at Emily as she hung from the bridge.

Hector's cheeks inflated as he hastily forced breath from his lungs. Reaching down he grabbed a wooden shaft and rolled it in his palms before looking up at Vince and gulping. In one swift movement he leapt from his safe place and landed in the midst of the walkers, batting at them without making a sound. One or two of the dead collapsed, dead, and the rest were forced away. In the few seconds that it took the walkers to get back to their feet Hector dropped his weapon and reached up. His arms were still bent as he caught Emily's shoe, giving him some leverage which he used to push her up. Sully jolted forwards, grabbing Emily's hands and pulling her up. Once the woman's chest was flat on the bridge, Hector let go and allowed Sully to do the rest of the work.

Vince looked down and saw Hector spinning around and watching the walkers that were climbing back to their feet to attempt to attack him again. There was no way up for the man. "Hector!" Vince called, struggling to tear his backpack open as Emily and Sully fled the bridge. "Here!" he withdrew his pistol, but the man shook his head and reached for the wooden shaft he had used earlier.

"I think... I think I can outrun them." Hector replied, refusing the aid. "Don't shoot, the noise will attract more."

Vince cursed under his breath. "If you _can _get out of there, try. We'll meet you back in the town somewhere, okay?"

Hector was no longer listening. He growled fiercely and swung at a walker before breaking into a sprint, stunted by his injured leg. He limped down the ditch as the group of walkers staggered after him, ducking beneath some foliage and disappearing into the wilderness.

Vince sighed, and then turned to face the other members of the group. Em's face was buried in Sully's neck as the two were enveloped in a tight embrace. Mitchell watched on with a sickly look on his face, clearly nearing the end of his life. Sully finally let go of Em and then ran over to Mitchell to help his brother keep his balance.

"What... do we do now?" Em muttered, still recuperating from the stress of her near-death experience.

Vince grimaced. "Seven of our people are still unaccounted for." He looked down the path that led away from the broken wooden bridge and stared at the cluster of walkers ahead. "Now we have to deal with _that._"


	54. The Death Knell

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Vince**

Vince, Sully, Em and Mitchell ducked into the trees at the side of the pathway in an attempt to hide their presence from the walkers, or at least use the undergrowth to slow the dead down if they were noticed. Vince led the group, keeping an eye out for Bonnie, Wyatt, Annie or Becca. He had not seen hide nor hair of them since he had told them to run from the walkers and it was starting to worry him. Having not yet heard screams of pain he assumed they were safe for now unless Sanctum had spontaneously appeared and killed them quietly.

Mitchell was in a sorry state; the poor teenager was suffering the worst of the infection now and soon enough he would be dead. It was playing on his older brother's mind; Sully looked panicked and knew he didn't have much time before he lost his little brother.

As they crept through the undergrowth Vince shivered, aware that dozens of the dead were metres away from him. He kept checking to make sure that the others were behind him, finding himself glancing around and expecting to see Hector. The man was gone; he had disappeared in the ditch and his bum leg had probably slowed him down to the point that walkers could catch up to him. His likelihood of survival wasn't that high.

It didn't take long for the four of them to hear cries for help. Forgetting those behind him, Vince broke into a sprint and dashed over a fallen tree before emerging in a were five walkers in the vicinity, but that was enough to take down Lowell and Tessa. The one-armed man was trying to get to Tessa but a walker was reaching between two trees and had hold of his single arm. Unable to bat it off, the man was trapped. Similarly, Tessa's body was strewn across the floor, her crutch nowhere to be seen. Her remaining leg was being grasped by a walker and she was desperately trying to crawl away from it.

Vince gulped. He could only save one.

He looked over his shoulder; Em, Sully and Mitchell had not yet caught up. He needed to do whatever he could. If he had been standing on a clock Lowell would have been at three o'clock and Tessa would have been at ten, meaning Vince would have a better chance of saving Lowell as he could reach him first.

Vince raised his machete and dashed forwards, slicing through one of the dead and then ducking behind the trees. He smacked the walker that had hold of Lowell but it was not instantly disabled, instead turning its split head to face him. Vince took another swing and killed the creep, causing it to fall limp.

Lowell jerked forwards and collapsed to the ground. Vince ran around the tree and helped him to his feet but the man tried to run again. "Tessa!" he cried, "Vince, help Tessa!"

Vince shook his head. The walkers in the clearing were gathering around Tessa now. There were too many to deal with and Vince couldn't see any way of getting through them without being torn apart in the process. Sully, Em and Mitchell ran into the clearing, briefly scowling at Vince for leaving them behind but becoming surprised when they recognised Lowell.

"Tessa!" Lowell yelled, "She's over there!"

Sully's head jerked in the direction of the screaming woman as the dead advanced on her. Em lifted her weapon to strike at the walkers but Sully batted her hand away and gripped her wrist. "I'm not going to let you do this." he told her. "Not after I almost lost you once." He looked at Vince. "What do we do?"

Vince opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off as he saw Mitchell staggering towards the group of walkers with his switchblade in his hand. Sully darted forwards, grabbing his brother's right shoulder which caused him to flinch in pain. "Mitchell, don't do this!" he wailed.

Mitchell turned to face him sluggishly. "You just touched my bite, asshole," he growled. He paused for a second, and then smirked. "I'm already dying, man. I can do this, you just have to let me. Don't help – none of you."

Without waiting for Sully to reply, Mitchell turned and crept towards the walkers, drained of energy. "All my life I never... did a thing worth doing. Now I can actually... do something worthwhile. Time to be a hero."

Sully collapsed to his knees, tears forming in his eyes as Mitchell sliced at the first member of the herd. It jerked to the left but he managed to kill it on the backswing. He raised his hand to strike the second and thrust his knife into its eye but the third reached for him and grabbed his shoulders. Mitchell ducked away but not before its claw-like hands tore at his neck, creating a nasty gash as he fell to his knees. He reached for the eyesocket which contained his knife and pulled it out, turning and stabbing the walker that had scratched him as it fell behind him, pulled by his weight.

The older Sullivan tried to run to his brother's aid but this time Em held him back by his elbows. "Let him do this!" she cried, "I can't lose both of you!"

Sully collapsed to his knees as Mitchell clamped his hand to his neck. Vince started forward, aware that there were only two walkers left. He sliced at once of them, killing it instantly, and then crouched to pull Tessa up. Fortunately the woman had not been bitten.

Mitchell was busy dealing with the last walker but it managed to get the upper hand, taking advantage of his lack of strength and knocking him flat on his back. Vince's hands were full with Tessa as Mitchell half-heartedly tried to push the walker away. It placed his hands on his stomach and pressed down into the soft tissue of his abdomen, cutting through him and causing blood to spill all over the place. Sully pulled himself away from Emily, causing her to fall forwards and land on one knee, and he kicked the walker off of his brother, stamping on its head several times more than was required to kill it.

Lowell arrived to take care of Tessa and Vince crouched over Mitchell. The teenager's neck and stomach were torn up – combined with his bite it was the end for him. "Fuck this," Mitchell groaned, placing his hands flat on the ground and pushing himself backwards so that he was leaning against a tree trunk, "I'm not taking this... lying down."

Sully crouched in front of him, tears streaming down his cheeks as Em grabbed his shoulders comfortingly. "Why did you do this to me?" he stuttered. "Why didn't you let me help?"

Mitchell looked at the hand he had pinned to his neck. "I wanted to do something right, on my own... I was dying anyway, man."

Sully wiped his nose with a finger and then reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small, polaroid photo. "Becca told me you wanted me to have this." he said. The photo was of a young girl who was around ten years old and shared similar characteristics to both Mitchell and Sully. "You should keep it."

"No," Mitchell gasped, "I see her... every time I close my eyes. You keep it. Remember her... forget me."

Sully shook his head and grabbed hold of his brother's hand. "No, I..." he took a sharp breath, "Goddamnit, Mitch, I'm not going to forget you. Never. Not after this. You saved Tessa."

"I guess."

"Do you want me to... y'know...?" He wiped his face with his hand and gulped. "After you're gone, do you want me to stop you coming back?"

Mitchell grinned, his mouth filled with blood. "Fuck it. Not worth making the noise." He chuckled, "I want to experiment... see what it's like when you come back. Maybe I'll find my way to Sanctum... or something, who knows?"

"Okay," Sully sighed, slightly relieved he wouldn't have to shoot his brother. His grip on Mitchell's hand tightened as the teenager's eyelids fluttered. "Mitchell?!" he cried. "Are you okay?!"

Mitchell snapped back, his head tilting to his right. "Yeah, I'm fucking fantastic." he croaked. "You and Em really need to fuck by the way."

Sully grinned under his breath, looking at Emily over his shoulder. He turned back to Mitchell, then muttered "I love you, bro."

"You're pretty awesome too," Mitchell sighed. "I'm... sorry about... Lucy..."

Sully gasped as Mitchell slumped to one side, his body losing all of its strength. Blood was surrounding Sully's knees as he knelt next to his brother, but the man didn't care as his shoulders started shaking and he began crying, a deluge of tears littering his face. He was trying to mutter words but nothing audible was coming out. Emily lifted him to his feet and wrapped her arms around his back, placing her head into his neck. "It's okay," she groaned, patting her friend's back. "I'm here, I'm here for you." she took a deep breath before snuffling into Sully's shoulder – it seemed that she was crying too.

Vince looked at Tessa and Lowell, who were staring at Mitchell sadly. Tessa had guilt in her eyes, but she couldn't be blamed for slipping and falling; it had all just been bad luck. Vince noticed her crutch lying on the ground and handed it to her so that she no longer had to rely on Lowell to remain upright.

Staring sadly at the crying remainder of the Gas Station group, Vince looked at the ground as the rain pounded on. He had never come to like Mitchell but in death the poor kid had been a hero. He had saved a life, which was more than could be said for many.

He wasn't going to rush anyone, but he didn't want to stick around for Mitchell to turn as requested. "Come on, people," he grunted, "let's find the others. We don't want to see what comes next."

Sully and Emily let go of each other and turned to follow the rest, remaining shoulder to shoulder as they staggered in sorrow. After all they had been through today Vince hoped things wouldn't get worse, but he could only assume that they would.


	55. Moment Of Truth

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Becca**

As the flood of walkers had cascaded down the hill Becca had trailed Bonnie and Wyatt, making sure to keep hold of Annie. They had crossed a bridge a few minutes ago, worried by the creaking noises it had made.

Not long after that Becca had looked over her shoulder to find out that the majority of the group had disappeared.. She was worried for them but her primary concern was getting Annie to safety, though that directive did not prevent her from becoming afraid for Vince's safety. He was up there on the hill with no one but Hector to help him; it would be tragic for him to perish there, or anywhere for that matter.

The sight of the town they had recently fled surfaced as the four of them trampled down an alleyway, the rain pouring down on their heads. Becca wished she had a hood; primarily because her hair was sticking to her face and getting in her eyes, but also because her vanity was getting the best of her and she was frustrated that her hair was losing the vague shape she liked to keep it in.

Choosing to ignore her minor concerns Becca concentrated on the path ahead and sighed with relief once they were clear of the dead, most of whom were still clamouring around thirty metres back. As they reached a crossroads the group paused to collect their thoughts and their breath.

"Fuck..." Bonnie sighed, sitting on the ground with her back to a building, one leg folded in while the other stuck out. "This is all my fault. It's always my fault."

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt huffed, hunched over. "_'Always'?_"

Bonnie looked up at him, her eyes watering. "I can't take it any more. I did this... I caused this, and Howe's was my fault too."

"What?" Wyatt gaped, recalling the events at Howe's; how the place had been taken down by walkers, how so many people had died and how only a few had managed to escape via various methods. "Don't say that. The herd had been coming for days, no one realised how bad it would be."

"No." Becca silenced him, raising her hand. "The loudspeaker. That's what attracted them, remember?" Glaring at Bonnie, Becca gave her declaration: "It was her. She set it off."

Annie shuddered. "But why? Why would she do that?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I didn't set it off, that weren't me, but I agreed to it so I could escape with the prisoners."

"The _prisoners?" _Wyatt repeared, his head jerking forwards in surprise. "You brought that down on us and didn't even try to find us after all we've been through? What the hell, dude?"

"I'm sorry, okay?!" Bonnie screamed, pressing her hands into her temples. "How d'you think _I _felt thinkin' I'd got y'all killed, huh?"

"Pff," Becca snorted, "It's not like you cared. You would've warned us."

"You didn't just leave _us - _your old _group -_ to die, either," Wyatt stared at Bonnie as he placed his hand on Annie's shoulder and pointed at the child. "Her. You left this defenseless child to die, too. If you hadn't let the prisoners out they wouldn't have been able to let the herd in. We could've kept it under control. We wouldn't have had to escape and Laura wouldn't have died. Or Miles, or Russ, or..." he gulped, "..._Shel."_

Becca's head whipped around to stare at Wyatt as Bonnie looked at her with fear on her face. It took a second for the fact that Bonnie was responsible for Shel's demise to sink in before Becca took a deep breath and felt her hands closing into fists as air rushed in and out of her nostrils. It felt like her forehead was boiling and she could feel heat behind her eyes. She couldn't be sure whether her face was turning red or not but she gave it no further thought as she took a step closer to Bonnie. The woman looked up at her, terrified, and then grunted in pain as Becca's left fist connected with her face. Bonnie was knocked to one side as Becca's right hand clasped the material of her former ally's jacket and slammed her knuckles into her face once again. Bonnie moaned again and again as Becca pummeled her, screaming inaudible words as she did so. Wyatt shuffled forwards to pull her away but paused before his hand could make contact with Becca's shoulder. Instead of getting between them he sighed, relaxed and stepped back to let Becca do what she had to do, opting to cover Annie's eyes instead.

Becca wailed as she punched Bonnie across the cheek again, her knuckles splitting with the force as the woman's face started to bruise. "YOU..."

One hit.

"...DID THIS..."

Two hits.

"...TO ME..."

Three hits.

"...YOU FUCKING..."

Four.

"...JUNKIE CUNT!"

Bonnie collapsed to the floor, her face bloodied with either her own fluids or Becca's; the teenager couldn't be sure as she looked at her split and bruised knuckles, shuddering. She looked over her shoulder at Wyatt and Annie and wiped her face, feeling the scar on her left cheek she had obtained shortly before Shel's demise.

Annie was cowering behind Wyatt, staring in the wide-eyed manner that a curious but fearful child did as they hid behind their protector. Wyatt looked afraid too, his breath shaking as he took a tentative step away from the teenager.

Becca had not felt so alone in a long time. Her only friends were afraid of her; she'd almost pummeled a woman to death and her one-and-a-half hands were bleeding.

Bonnie's fault. All of it; Shel dying, Marshall almost doing whatever he was planning to do, Becca being bitten, Russell's death, Miles' death, being tortured by bandits. All of it could have been avoided if a stupid woman had not thought about herself.

Becca's eyes started streaming as her bottom lip quivered. It took a moment but soon enough a deluge of salty tears covered her face as she collapsed onto her side. She wailed into the asphalt, her body limp as she crushed her eyelids together.

Were Annie and Wyatt afraid of her? Did a fifteen-year-old's somewhat understandable actions regarding the events and cause of her sister's death strike fear in their hearts?

Becca rolled onto her back and stared into the sky, her chest heaving and falling sharply as she spluttered and choked, weeping without pause. She could barely see through her foggy eyes.

She needed Vince. He would understand, he would help, just like he always did.


	56. Suffer The Consequences

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Annie**

Annie's fingers gripped the material of Wyatt's trousers as she hid behind him. What Becca had done had terrified her; she thought she could trust the teen – she considered her to be family, but for some reason every member of Annie's family had either disappeared or turned into a violent monster just like her father.

Becca was no different now.

Annie still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Bonnie had left her and the others to die, but as far as the seven year old was concerned that was in the past and they had to worry about what was going on now, namely the walkers, missing group members and Sanctum. Where was Vince? Where was Em or Sully or Hector?

Wyatt twisted and crouched in front of her, placing his arms on her shoulders. "Don't look, dude." he warned, "I need to check if Bonnie's okay. We can't forgive what she did but... we can't just kill her either."

"Why did Becca do that?" Annie squealed. "_Why?" _Becca could clearly hear what she was saying but she didn't move or provide any insight.

"Look," Wyatt muttered, breathing heavily. "How can I make you understand this..? Imagine if... oh, god, imagine if something bad happened to Becca, and you went for months thinking that it couldn't have been avoided... then someone shows up who caused it without meaning to. How would you feel, man?"

Annie paused. "Angry."

"That's what just happened to Becca. You remember what happened to Shel; if Bonnie hadn't helped bring those walkers to Carver's camp we wouldn't have had to run away and Shel, Miles, Russell and the others wouldn't have died. Becca wouldn't have been bitten and lost half her hand."

Annie looked past the man who had saved her life during the invasion of Carver's camp and looked at Becca. The girl was lying on her back, her chest rising and falling slowly as she attempted to calm down. Annie could see the logic now; she understood why Becca had hurt Bonnie.

Wyatt shuffled over to Bonnie, crouching over her and feeling her neck for a pulse before putting his hand just ahead of her mouth. "Still breathing, just unconscious." he grunted. Annie looked back in the direction of the woods; the walkers' clamouring was everpresent, though it had not grown in intensity yet. They were safe for now.

Just as Annie motioned to turn her head back towards Wyatt, she caught sight of people breaking through the trees. Her heart raced with relief and excitement, happy that others had survived. Vince's face was painted with fear which only intensified when he caught sight of Becca and Bonnie. The man collapsed onto one knee, crouching over Becca as he placed his hand on her chest to make sure her heart was still beating. "What the hell happened here?" he questioned, demanding an answer.

Wyatt looked at him, then turned back to Bonnie. "Howe's; the herd, the alarm. Bonnie did it."

"W-what?" Vince spluttered, his face rapidly switching between expressions.

"She planned the whole thing with the prisoners. No doubt because... fuckin' _Luke _was there."

Vince shook his head, "Ignore her, then. Why's Becca so out of it right now?"

"She took it badly. If Bonnie hadn't done what she did we wouldn't have had to run and Shel wouldn't be dead."

Vince's eyes widened. "F...fuck. Fuck." he gasped. "Oh, fuck."

Annie looked at the trees again. Lowell and Tessa were advancing on the group with Sully and Em not far behind. All four of them had solemn expressions on their faces but Sully in particular looked as if he was trying to hold back tears.

Vince pulled Becca up into a sitting position. The teenager was limp and unresponsive, blocking everything out. "Becca," Vince ordered, shaking her shoulders, "Come on, Becca, don't do this now."

As Vince tried to make Becca snap out of her trance Annie watched Wyatt leave Bonnie's side and talk to the four newcomers. "Where's Hector?" he asked. "I thought he was with Vince?"

Lowell shrugged. "Vince found us but Hector's missing. I haven't seen Tyler and..." he looked over his shoulder at Sully and Em, "You don't need to worry about the kid."

Annie's eyes widened as she looked at Wyatt. Why didn't they need to worry about Mitchell – was he dead? Was that why Sully and Emily were so sad?

Wyatt looked down at the ground, shaking his head. That seemed to confirm Annie's suspicions; Mitchell had finally surrendered to the walker virus circulating through his system and he had passed away. Mimicking her protector's actions, Annie stared at her feet and shuffled uncomfortably, Mitchell's binoculars burning a hole in her backpack as she thought about them.

The memory of another human being degraded into miscellanea.

Hector and Tyler were missing too, which was worrying. Lowell wasn't sure that they were dead but his tone didn't seem hopeful.

Wyatt turned to Vince. "What do we do?" he asked.

Vince was still focused on Becca, trying to pull her to her feet but she was having none of it, refusing to cooperate. "We need to find somewhere safe. Maybe get onto a roof and check the place for Sanctum or the others. Hector and Tyler might still be alive."

"Lead the way," Lowell muttered, "What happened to Bonnie?"

"I've already explained it twice," Wyatt groaned, "We don't have the time to go over it again, just help me lift her."

Wyatt only requested the aid of the one-armed man because Vince was busy with Becca and it wasn't fair to pin the task on Sully and Emily after their recent loss. Lowell grunted with effort as he grabbed hold of Bonnie's foot and left the other one hanging. Wyatt grappled her beneath her armpits and began pulling her along while Vince grabbed Becca under her back and knees.

The group were in a state due to Bonnie's stupid mistake – trying to split up Tyler and Hector's fight had resulted in them losing progress and backtracking to the town. Annie doubted that they would be able to find somewhere else outside of this town before nightfall so they would have to camp here tonight. That would be dangerous with the walkers around.

She looked over her shoulder and stared at Sully and Em. The man's right cheek was spattered with blood and his eyes were red following the tears he had shed for Mitchell. Emily was in a similar state, blood caking her face and hair, knotting the ginger strands together like glue. The two had their arms around each others' shoulders, moving silently as one large, depressed being. Given the dullness in their eyes it seemed as if they had both given up and were just following orders mechanically, doing as they were told. Annie decided to make it her responsibility to make sure that they were okay as the others all had concerns of their own.

Annie fell into formation as the group strolled down the street with no particular destination in mind. They would have to decide their next move soon or they would just end up wandering aimlessly. The others were all so concerned about themselves that they were barely paying attention to their surroundings.

It was odd how the seven year old was the only one keeping lookout.


	57. On The Lookout

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Wyatt**

Wyatt and Lowell carried the unconscious form of Bonnie down the street. Vince had hold of Becca; the teen wasn't unconscious, she was simply unresponsive, shivering and shaking as she tried to cope with the fact that she had knocked out an adult.

Making sure to search the group for Annie every few seconds, Wyatt eyed each remaining member; Tessa was covered in mud and dirt, Sully and Emily were barely able to stand up and had to rely on each other to stay upright, Lowell was the only one who didn't look half dead and he was missing an arm.

Vince had suggested finding a rooftop and searching the area for Hector and Tyler, both of whom were missing. The man led the group to an alleyway and began climbing a gantry-esque staircase that traveled up the side of one building. Wyatt stared at Lowell for a second, then at Bonnie. It would be a pain to carry her up there. Ensuring that he had a tight grip on her armpits, Wyatt gestured for Lowell to let go of the leg he was holding onto so that he could drag the woman up the steps.

Lowell did as he was instructed and Wyatt began staggering backwards up the gantry. Each time he moved upwards, Bonnie's limp legs clanged on the backs of the stairs, causing him to flinch. He turned a corner as Lowell started up the steps, followed by Annie, Sully and Emily. Soon enough the group reached the apex of the building and Wyatt rested Bonnie against an air conditioning unit. He checked to make sure she was still breathing and paused in front of her weak form. After all that she had unknowingly caused, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. There were worse people in the world.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Vince putting Becca into a standing position. The girl wasn't demotivated enough to collapse in a heap, but she stood there with her head hung low, glancing at Bonnie for a millisecond. In a way Wyatt wanted to reassure her, but from that distance all he would be able to manage was a smile which would look oddly sinister next to an unconscious woman, almost as if he was congratulating her.

Sully leaned against a door which led down and into the building, sliding down it until he was seated with his head in his palms. Emily followed suit, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him and staring into space as the man wiped his eyes.

Lowell ran down the steps and aided Tessa up, her crutch becoming a severe hindrance even though she couldn't function without it. Wyatt got to his feet and spoke to them both. "Hey, can you keep an eye on Bonnie for a second?" he paused at the sight of their inquiring faces. "I need to talk to Vince."

Lowell nodded slowly, in no mood for an argument, and Wyatt dashed over to the edge of the building where Vince was standing. Becca had wandered off, seemingly on autopilot but it looked as if Annie was headed in her direction to talk to her.

"Wow." Vince grunted monotonously, staring at the skyline. Wyatt barely realised that the rain had stopped; it had been a short burst, a shower that lasted no more than ten or so minutes, but in that time all kinds of shit had hit the fan. "Been quite a day, huh?"

Wyatt folded his arms and stared at his feet, unnerved by the height of the building as Vince continued. "Been through all this shit but we've gotten nowhere."

"Don't give up yet, dude." Wyatt warned, "think about Eastland. We'll be safe there once we fix the place up."

Vince smirked. "I'm not giving up, I'm more determined than before. I'm just worried about everyone; Sully, Em, Becca, Bonnie. If Tyler's still around and he finds out what she did there's no telling what he'll do."

"We need to keep quiet about it, then." Wyatt muttered. "I think Becca got it out of her system at least, and we won't need to worry about Hector's reaction because he did the exact same to get us out of Sanctum. If you put Bonnie in his position, wasn't she technically doing a good thing? It screwed us over, but saved other people. We got out anyway, what happened to the others was unrelated. We went screwing around and got ourselves hurt, we can't blame her for that."

Vince nodded. "I guess," he agreed reluctantly, looking over at Becca. "_She _had her reasons to do what she did, though."

Wyatt turned back to look down at the road and caught sight of movement. "Shit." he growled.

"What is it?"

"Down there. Walker, I think."

"They're this close already?" Vince pressed a hand to his forehead and improve his view. "Shit, no... wait. That's not a walker." He paused and then made a dash for the staircase. Wyatt gave chase and followed Vince down, assuming they were in trouble.

Vince broke out of the alleyway and into the daylight, sprinting towards the alleyway in which Wyatt had spotted movement. His friend slowed to a halt as they got closer, observing the shadows as a figure stumbled into the street.

"Tyler!" Vince gasped, watching as the man stared at them both with his eye half open. His face was bloodied from the beating Hector had given him, not unlike the beating Becca had given Bonnie. He was barely awake, shambling like one of the dead, but judging by his pupils, he had not turned.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt questioned. "How'd you get through the herd? Are you bit?"

Tyler gulped deeply, his neck leaning forward as he attempted to speak. "In order; no, I ran, no."

Wyatt took a moment to put Tyler's answers to his inquiries. Once he had summed everything up he walked over to the guy and placed a hand on his back, pushing him towards the building where the group was camped. "Most of us are up there, aside from Mitchell and Hector. Hector's missing and... well, Mitchell's dead."

Tyler shrugged as he ambled down the alleyway and began making his way up the steps. He was being painfully slow, almost as if he was putting on an act in an attempt to annoy Wyatt and Vince. After the half minute it took him to reach the roof – instead of the ten seconds it had taken everyone but Tessa – he gave a passing glance to Bonnie and then fell into a sitting position at a random point on the roof, far from any of the others. Wyatt almost asked how he had been split up from Lowell and Tessa and how he had gotten so far into the town, but Lowell grabbed his shoulder and announced "Bonnie's awake."

Wyatt and Vince walked over to the woman, who was leaning on the air conditioning unit, her head tilted back as she stared at the sky. Gesturing for Tessa and Lowell to give them space, Vince studied Bonnie's cheek as the woman winced in pain.

"Vince, I need to tell ya somethin'..." Bonnie groaned.

Vince's lips thinned. "I already know," he responded. "Howe's, your fault, Becca beat you up, all of that."

Bonnie paused. "Yeah." she looked over at Becca. "I never thought I'd be beat up by a kid, but I guess I deserved it."

Vince pulled her head back so she was facing him. "Stop moving." he growled. "I can't check your face if you keep fucking moving."

Bonnie gave in and let Vince take a look at her. "It's nothin' I can't handle," she reasoned, "really, I can handle it."

"You haven't even seen it." Vince looked to Wyatt for support. In response Wyatt crossed his arms and glared at Bonnie. Her right cheek was bruised and bloody and he could already see that a black ring was forming around her eye. "What happened to Hector?" she inquired, "and the boy?"

Vince took a deep breath. "The bridge at the bottom of the hill broke while Hector, Em, Sully, Mitchell and I were running across. Hector fell to the bottom of the ditch but he helped Em up. He couldn't get up himself so he made a run for it. All the walkers followed him. Mitchell ended up dying to save Tessa's life."

"I caused that, too..." Bonnie sighed, "All because of my itchy trigger finger."

"If you hadn't have done that, Hector would've killed Tyler," Wyatt reminded her, "And I'd keep everything to yourself around Sully and Em, dude. They might not want to put everything together."

Bonnie nodded as Vince stood up and wiped is hands on his jeans. "We should probably make a move now. Try and find that ditch Hector was in and see if he's still alive."

"Isn't it worth leaving some people here?" Wyatt asked. "Just in case there are walkers?"

Vince shook his head. "We don't want to split up again, not after what happened last time. Let's just all find Hector and get the fuck out of this town, okay? We don't want to have to backtrack again." He waved for the rest of the group to follow him and started down the steps to search for the final missing member of their group.


	58. Seek And Destroy

**Day 970 – Midday**

**Vince**

The group chased Vince as he marched through the town, determined to find Hector. The guard was a valuable asset and it would be a waste if he had perished in the ditch. Bonnie was close behind, the right half of her face swelling as she tinkered with her radio, trying to get it to work.

"What are you doing?" Vince asked, watching the woman struggle with the plastic casing.

Bonnie sighed. "If we're lookin' for Hector I might be able to talk to him over his radio."

Vince reached for his belt and frowned as he felt the boxy shape of the device Hector had given him earlier. "Bonnie, that won't work." he breathed. "I still have Hector's radio."

Bonnie's face fell. "Dammit. It would've been good to know."

"Could've also put him in danger if he was trying to be quiet while hiding from walkers." Vince reminded her. "It'd probably do more bad than good."

Bonnie pressed a palm into her forehead, closing her eyes and seething through her teeth. "I never think things through..." she sighed, "Goddamnit."

Vince groaned and attempted to lift her spirits. "Things just don't turn out well sometimes... most of the time. It's never what you're worried about that gets you." He looked over his shoulder and saw Tyler mumbling to Lowell. "We'll keep that to ourselves. Concentrate on finding Hector, okay?"

Bonnie nodded and slowed down so that she could speak with another member of the group. Vince twisted his head to look at Becca – the teenager had finally regained her ability to function on her own even though her mood had not improved. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared into space, tight lipped. Vince had not seen her beat Bonnie down but he had done similar things in the past and he knew how it felt; it scared the perpetrator as well as the victims and bystanders. Becca had probably terrified herself, but at least she hadn't shut down entirely. Vince assumed that she'd snap out of it soon enough.

Just to be sure, he waited until she was walking alongside him and placed his palm on her shoulder reassuringly. Becca looked up at him slowly, her eyes regaining some life as she watched him calmly. Vince nodded and patted her arm before letting her go – all she needed was to know that someone understood how she felt and had been through it before.

As things stood he didn't really have much faith in the group; they were all facing their own problems and Vince was led to believe that if they ran into more walkers they would fare even worse than last time. The only people he felt he could really trust at the time were Wyatt, Annie, Lowell and Tessa.

They just had to make it back to Indiana and they would be fine. That seemed like an easy enough job but Vince didn't factor in the time it would take them to get there and the losses they would most likely suffer. It would be helpful if they could find some working vehicles but Vince knew that such luxuries were near impossible to come by.

He wondered how things would go at the mall. They'd have to spend a while enforcing the walls the herd had broken through months ago and they would assign people places to sleep once all the supplies were looted; maybe they would let each person pick their own store, though Wyatt would probably live with Annie and Vince with Becca, considering both adults had pledged to keep both children safe.

God forbid that the place was still overrun or already inhabited.

Vince sighed, troubled about the journey ahead and looked back over his shoulder, this time catching sight of Sully and Emily. Both of them were in a bad state, though Em had coped with Mitchell's death marginally better than she had with Kiff's. Sully was at the lowest point Vince had ever seen him; the man had often been optimistic and friendly with a slight hint of frustration at some points but at present he was hunched over, sullen-faced and dispirited as he plodded along, barely willing to continue after the last surviving member of his family had died.

Thinking about Sully's family caused Vince to recall that Sully had showed Mitchell a photograph before the teen's demise. The girl pictured in it had looked like both brothers, sharing the same hair tone and facial shape, most likely a younger sister or cousin of theirs.

Vince gulped. He wasn't sure but he could probably assume that she was related to the past event that Mitchell had been blaming himself for ever since the two groups had met. Vince didn't know the whole story and he didn't have the guts to ask anyone.

There was a junction just ahead of them. Vince didn't recognise it and assumed that this was one of the areas they had not explored the first time they had set foot inside the town. It split off into four separate roads – one of those being the one they were currently marching down. Vince looked up and saw a set of traffic lights hanging haphazardly, swaying in the spring breeze that had followed the brief torrent of rain.

As he led the group Vince caught the smell of rain on dirt, the odd smell that rose up into a person's nostrils after it had remained dry for a long time. Vince was sure that there was a name for it, but he wasn't a walking encyclopedia.

He briefly looked left and right as the group made their way the centre of the crossroads. After two short checks he glanced at the rest of the group and continued walking until they made their way to the crux of the junction and paused.

A rattling noise had echoed down the street to his left.

Vince's eyes narrowed.

It could have just been a raccoon or something. An animal. A scavenger.

A clicking sound now. Vince's right hand instinctively darted for the pistol which he had tucked in the waistband of his jeans. Something was wrong.

Another sound, a sort of tapping.

Vince grimaced and signaled to the rest of the group to be on their guard.

He had spent so long worrying about Hector and Becca, the walkers and reaching Indiana that he had neglected something in the back of his mind.

As he had just told Bonnie, "it's never what you're worried about that gets you."


	59. Finale Pt1 - Dead Men Walking

**Day 970 – 14:08pm**

**Wyatt**

Wyatt's head jerked in the direction of the street to their right. Vince's fingers were slowly closing around his pistol as he stared down the road, which made him quite nervous. Wyatt double-checked to make sure that Annie was behind him before he reached for the assault rifle that was slung over his shoulder.

Becca was crouching and slowly unzipping her backpack. Wyatt wasn't sure what she was looking for but based off of Vince's paranoid behavior he could only assume she was searching for a gun.

Wyatt blinked as someone behind him chambered a round and glanced forward as Vince raised his gun and pointed it down the street to his left.

Silence.

Wyatt looked down at Annie. She was staring at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes, unsure of what was about to happen. Truth be told, Wyatt couldn't answer because he was equally clueless.

Still quiet.

He could practically hear Tyler grinding his teeth in anticipation. "Walkers?" he asked, risking a whisper, his eyes darting around maniacally as he searched for something that wasn't there.

"No," Vince replied, his voice deep and gravelly, croaky and determined. "The dead don't hide."

Wyatt heard a breathy rumble escape from the alleyway that broke away from the road on their right. Whatever was there was on both their left and right.

The next sound was too clear to be a subject of debate. Wyatt knew the pump of a shotgun when he heard it, but it came from behind them. No one in his group had a shotgun

"_Fuck." _Vince hissed. Sully twisted on the spot to look behind them and Wyatt kept his eyes dead ahead.

The entire group jolted in shock as a shot from the fired from the left.

"That was a warning!" called an all-too-familiar voice. "You have two choices; surrender for humanity or waste your lives!"

Wyatt recognised the voice from his 'induction meeting' a few days ago. That presented a predicament.

Vince snarled and raised his pistol, aiming it in the direction of the voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" A second voice called from their right. "We have you surrounded." The voice paused and then its volume grew to a yell. "MOVE IN!"

The group were trapped in the centre of the crossroads as Silas surfaced on their right and Shaw on their left. Curtis, the watchtower guard was to their backs and Sonja was directly ahead of them.

And it didn't stop there. Four more guards appeared in the different streets; the hooded form of Scarlet, a guard Wyatt recognised as Phil and two more he couldn't identify. Three more appeared on the rooftops, aiming various sidearms and rifles at them while three white-coated doctors nervously aimed pistols at them, hands shaking.

"The gang's all here." Silas chuckled, all too aware that Vince's pistol was pointed at his chest. "I'm sure they'll enjoy thanking you for that... refurbishment." he paused. "Wait. Where's Hector? And the other kid?"

No one gave Silas the luxury of a response, so the bulky, bald man looked up at one of the guards on the roof, a man with a blue ball cap and facial hair. "Martin!" Silas called. "Check the surrounding area! Ensure that Hector isn't planning anything."

Martin nodded and disappeared from Wyatt's view as he ran across his roof to check for signs of Hector. Silas turned his attention back to Vince and the rest, knowing that if anyone took a shot they would be cut down from four separate angles.

Vince's head turned in the direction of Shaw. The woman was not aiming her greyish-silver pistol at any member of the group but she was watching intently.

"Why don't you talk for yourself, instead of letting your lapdog speak for you?" Vince growled. "Why don't you let everyone know what you've achieved from cutting people up?"

Shaw's tight-lipped, emotionless face twisted into a warm smirk as she studied Vince with cold, blue eyes. "With your cooperation we could make a breakthrough. We could cure this virus. It would be at the cost of your own lives but are they really worth more than the rest of the world?"

Vince shook his head. "You can't cure it! We've heard; people have tried and failed."

Shaw's head titled slightly to one side. "Who has tried?"

Wyatt's brow creased with uncertainty. They had always heard that the virus couldn't be cured, they had been told that people had tried and failed, but they had never been told _who_ or _where_.

Shaw was right.

But being right wasn't always the answer. Wyatt looked down and to his left, staring into Annie's deep brown eyes. His group was all that Sanctum had to rely on to find a cure, and Annie was part of his group.

His eyes narrowed as his grip tightened on his assault rifle. He looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Sully, then lightly tapped Becca's shin with his foot to get her attention. She gave him a quick glance and nudged Vince with her elbow, causing the man to stare back at Silas.

Would Wyatt really be willing to give the group up to save everyone else?

No.

In an instant Wyatt aimed his weapon at Shaw, firing several rounds at the woman. Vince shot at Silas while Becca fired dead ahead and Sully shot at the guards behind them. With the guards on all four sides of them shocked for a second, the group backed up and dove for cover, Wyatt grabbing the scruff of Annie's neck and pulling her down behind a car.

The adult and child hit the sidewalk with a slap, Wyatt landing on his rifle. Ignoring the fact that he was slightly winded Wyatt pushed himself onto his knees and made sure that Annie was okay. Aside from a small graze on the side of her head the child was fine, cowering behind him as he prepared his weapon for another shot.

Vince hit the ground just ahead of them, taking cover behind a newspaper stand and the corner of the junction. He was staring around the edge of the wall in Shaw's direction, oblivious to the fact that he was exposed to the guards on the right. Scanning the environment briefly, Wyatt saw Bonnie dashing to the other side of the road, firing dead ahead but neglecting to acknowledge those behind her. Wyatt's stomach sank as he saw Tessa sprawled on the road, her crutch a few metres away as Lowell desperately tried to drag her out of the line of fire. Tyler was already making a break for it, dashing into one of the buildings, unarmed.

Wyatt's head whipped around as he saw Silas climbing back to his feet to aim at Vince, who was focusing fire on Shaw. If he drew Vince's attention then the leader of Sanctum would leap from her hiding place and send a bullet into his friend, so he needed to ensure that Silas didn't get the chance to distract him while covering Tessa and Lowell who were still stranded in the centre of the crossroads.

He needed backup, and there was only one person who could help him.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Day 970 – 14:11pm<strong>

**Annie**

Annie was peeking over the rear of the car that she and Wyatt were hiding behind until the blonde, bearded man gripped her hood and pulled her down to the ground. "Annie, stay down!" the man cried.

Pressing her hands onto the asphalt so that she could push herself back into a sitting position, Annie's eyes met Wyatt's. The man's black pupils, surrounded by a ring of blue, darted around, searching her soul before exhaling deeply.

"...Annie." he sighed. "I need you to help me. I know it's scary but we need to help Vince and Tessa and Lowell."

Annie nodded, eager to help. Always eager to help. "What do I do?"

Wyatt put his hands on her shoulders and twisted her around so he had access to her backpack. Annie stared back the way they came as Wyatt searched through her belongings for something. Sully and Emily were busy dealing with the two guards behind them while trying to avoid shots from one of the guards on a roof. Annie recognised one of the members of Sanctum as the man who had worked the gate, the one she and Bonnie had distracted with the walkers at the settlement – Curtis. His back was to the bridge and the hill and the place where Mitchell had died, the place where they had lost Hector.

Wyatt patted her shoulder as he zipped up her rucksack and she turned around, eyes widening at the sight of the pistol Hector had left her when she and Bonnie had first arrived at the farmhouse. Though she wanted to reject it she felt the man force the cold metal grip between her fingers; it was heavy and weighed her arms down as she tried to hold it, but Wyatt made sure that her grip remained firm. "I need you to help," he muttered, his voice wavering as he panicked. "We're in deep shit here, man, and I can't do this alone."

Annie's eyebrows creased as she shook her head. "I don't know what to _do!" _she moaned, but Wyatt did not relent.

"Look, I'm gonna aim at the guys directly ahead, try and keep them off of Lowell and Tess. You see 'em in the middle of the road, yeah? They need help and no one else is doing shit. I just need you to point and fire at the big bald guy who's taking aim at Vince right..." Wyatt gulped, shot up and fired two shots at Silas, who had been taking aim at Vince, pushing the man back but only delaying him by a few seconds. Annie clamped her hands to her ears, accidentally shocking herself as the metal of her pistol connected with her temple.

Wyatt ducked back down and looked her in the eye. "Just pin Silas down, okay? Stop him from hurting anyone. You see him? To our _right, _just look past the corner that Bonnie is at_. _Shaw is to our _left _and I'm gonna give Lowell time by shooting at Sonja who's dead ahead."

Annie shook her head. "But what if I don't hit him?! He'll just keep coming!"

Wyatt turned and took aim at Sonja. "You don't _have _to hit him, just scare him! Shoot at where he's going to go, just to stop him hurting Vince!"

Annie raised her pistol with uncertainty, resting her wrists on the car bonnet as she kept her shoulder touching Wyatt's back. She needed to be sure he was there; that he wasn't going to leave her.

It was terrifying. Annie saw Silas getting back up onto his feet about twenty-five metres away, past the corner where Bonnie was taking cover. The man didn't even know she was there because he was focusing on Vince and Lowell and Tessa.

Her right eardrum exploded with sound as Wyatt fired several rounds at the guards across the junction. Her eyes crushed shut for a moment and when she opened them everything was moving in slow motion. Silas was moving in with no one focusing fire on him, which meant that Annie was all that stood between him and Lowell and Tessa.

Ensuring that her gun was loaded, Annie looked down the top of the weapon, assuming that was the right thing to do. She crouched and aimed at Silas, getting a surprisingly good angle on him as he closed in on his target.

As her finger tightened on the trigger, Annie paused.

She was seven years old.

She didn't want to kill anyone.

Ignoring the fact that she had a good shot on the man, she instead fired at the ground in front of him, once to get his attention and then again to make sure he was pushed back.

She could have killed him.

Wyatt's back pressed into her upper arm as he fired again, but it was more of a comfort than an irritation. The repeating noise halted suddenly and Wyatt turned back to face her, then glanced over at Silas who was, to his relief, back behind cover. He smiled at Annie and then looked back over the car to call out to Lowell.

"Dude!" he screamed, "Get moving!"

Lowell ignored his order and put his arm around Tessa's shoulder in a last-ditch attempt to get her to move. She returned the gesture and the one armed man struggled to tug her back down the street, on the opposite side of the road to Annie and Wyatt. Relieved that they had found cover, Wyatt scowled as he heard shots from above.

"They have somebody on the roof!" Annie cried. "They'll be able to shoot Bonnie and the others if they're on our side!"

"Crap," Wyatt snarled. "We're pinned down on all sides. We need more people!" He turned to look at Vince who was still hiding behind the news stand just ahead, desperately trying to shoot Shaw. "Vince!" he shouted. "Dude! Fall back!"

Vince looked over his shoulder and leapt further around the corner as a stray bullet hit the news stand with a thud. "We need to take out the guys on the roofs!" Wyatt growled.

"Where are the others?" Vince asked. He had been so involved in his personal mission to end Director Shaw that he had not taken note of where anyone else was.

"No one's taken a hit yet, s'far as I can tell." Wyatt replied, "but Annie just saved Lowell and Tessa from Silas."

"Becca?" Vince asked. "Where's Becca?"

Wyatt shook his head. "Haven't seen her. She might be on the other side of the road."

"Shit," Vince snarled. "Shit! Can you deal with the guys on the roof? I need to be sure Becca's okay."

Wyatt shook his head but Vince had already checked that the coast was clear and was in the process of preparing to sprint across the road. Wyatt growled, turned to Annie and took a deep breath.

"I guess we're on our own, then."

* * *

><p><span><strong>Day 970 – 14:16pm<strong>

**Vince**

Vince hit the pavement hard as he landed on the other side of the road. Bonnie was busy shooting to the street on the right so Vince decided not to bother her. His main priority was Becca – or _finding _her at least. She had been behind him and to his right when the group had dazed Sanctum with their simultaneous fire, and had presumably dodged the potential income of bullets by ducking to the right side of the road.

Lowell and Tessa had retreated into the building just ahead of him, the same place Tyler had gone into. Vince almost followed their lead until he caught sight of Sully and Emily fending off Curtis and another woman with long, brown hair and a sharp-featured face. Neglecting his mission for only a moment, he decided to help the duo. Both of them were cowering behind a car that was parked lengthways across the road, Sully only raising his hand and firing warning shots with his pistol to hold them off.

"How are you holding up?" Vince breathed, pressing his back into the side door of the vehicle.

"Not good, but at least they're not going for kill shots." Sully grunted, peeking over the bonnet of the car before ducking again, several shots firing overhead.

Vince shook his head. "Silas is the only one trying to kill us, the rest probably want to take us back to their base for show and tell before they put us under the knife."

"Didn't Sanctum burn down?" Emily cried, firing over the back of the vehicle and failing to make eye contact with Vince.

"Only the outer towers, I guess." Vince acknowledged before snapping back to the issue at hand. "Have you seen Becca?" he asked.

"Dunno!" Sully growled, firing at Curtis again. "Fuckin' hell, if one of their guys on the roof spots us we're _fucked!_" He ducked and wiped his brow, pushing a sliver of black hair that was peeking out from under his wool hat across his forehead and out of his eyes. "Can't get a beat on them 'cause we've got to deal with Curtis..."

Vince made eye contact with the man as Sully stared at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'll try and get a good shot on them," he told him, "but it needs to be one good shot. A single miss and they'll move off. Needs to be a kill shot."

"Go!" Sully ordered. "Em and I'll try and hold this off." he looked over the car bonnet and his face fell pale. "...Fuck."

Vince turned in place, crouching in place and halting his attempt to move into one of the buildings that lined the street. "What?!"

Sully turned to him, his mismatched eyes wide with fear. "The gunshots... fuck, the _walkers, _man!"

Vince's heart sank. He had hoped that the walkers weren't going to resurface, but the group had no such luck. Now they were flanked on all sides by Sanctum with further pressure from the east - the direction Sully and Em were facing.

"Shit." Vince growled. "Try and hold on as long as possible. I'm gonna try and clear the rooftops. Hopefully the walkers will deal with _some _of Sanctum."

As he got up and ran towards the double doors of a building, pistol in hand, he almost turned to Sully and told him 'good luck.'

Sully didn't need luck, he needed cold, hard accuracy.

Pushing the thoughts of Sully's and Em's potential fates to the back of his head, Vince barged through the double doors of a building and immediately put his hands in the air as he was met with the sight of a figure swiveling to aim their gun at him. Once he identified who had just ran into the room, Tyler relaxed and briefly closed his remaining eye. "Thank fuck." he sighed, "Thought that was the end for me."

Completely ignoring the man, Vince's eyes were drawn to a door through which he could see a staircase. Pushing past the glass partition he dashed up the steps and made his way to the first floor, realising that he hadn't even noted what sort of building he was in.

After reaching the second floor Vince bundled into a large room and thrust office chairs and desks out of his way as he ran for the first window he saw. As far as he could tell no one was on the roof of _this _building, meaning he had no need to worry about people coming down to attack him once he made his presence known. He slid his backpack from his shoulders and rooted through it, finding a half-empty clip which he pushed into his weapon before setting himself up at the window.

His eye was immediately caught by a corpse that lay to the south – the road Shaw had been standing in and the one across from Silas's. Afraid that it might be once of his own, Vince squinted and stared at the body before recognising that they were wearing bloodied medical scrubs. Ironically, the first casualty of the fight had been a doctor.

Ignoring the fact that someone was dead, Vince turned his attention to the task at hand – taking out the guards on the rooftops. There were only three as far as he could tell and one of them – 'Martin', as Silas had named him – had disappeared to make sure that Hector was not lurking in the shadows.

Setting his sights on a middle-aged woman who was crouched on the roof across the way, above Annie and Wyatt, Vince fired two shots. The first hit the guttering at the top of the building but the second caught the woman's knee and knocked her off-balance, causing her to tilt forward. Her weight combined with the mass of her weapon caused her to tip over the lip of the roof and fall to her death, landing with a metallic thud as she hit the hood of the vehicle below her.

Wincing at the nasty sight, Vince jerked back as he saw the last remaining rooftop guard, the one to the right of the building Vince had just shot at, preparing to shoot at him. A bullet hit the thin wall behind him, creating a big, black hole. Baring his teeth, Vince squinted and returned fire. His attacker ducked from across the way, but did not rise again. Rising with curiosity, Vince saw the attacker's head bobbing up and down as he fled towards a door that led downwards.

Vince scowled, the black eye Tyler had given him the day before still paining him as he recognised the fact that he had pushed back the Sanctum members on the roofs but knowing that he had been forced to kill one of them to do so – not that he wasn't willing to kill to protect his group. He had done it before, but it had never felt right.

Now that he was out of immediate danger he had a chance to take in everything around him. Gunfire was piercing the air every few moments with intervals of silence that lasted mere seconds. The gurgling and roaring of walkers was growing ever near as they made their way towards the gunfight, hungry to join the battle. Hopefully Sully and Emily would keep things under control.

As he turned to dash back down the stairs and alert the group that the guards on the roof had been dealt with, Vince heard Silas yelling for Sanctum to fan out into a wider area. That suggested that some of the enemy had _space _to fan out, so they weren't as pinned down by Vince's group as he had hoped.

Leaping from five steps up, Vince lost his balance slightly as he hit the ground but quickly regained himself and dashed back through the double doors. Tyler had disappeared but Vince noticed that a door that had been closed when he had first set foot in the building was now open; that must have been Tyler's method of escape.

Throwing himself through the double doors Vince crouched and made a beeline for Sully's and Em's locations. The two of them were still hiding behind the same car as Curtis and the other guard tried to shoot at them.

"Dealt with their guys on the roofs." Vince shouted, letting them hear over the gunfire.

Sully looked at him briefly and nodded. "We saw!" he yelled, turning his head away.

Looking over his shoulder Vince noted that the female guard he had killed was clearly visible, lying on the car bonnet in a human-shaped dent. Judging by the state of the corpse the impact had disabled her brain so the group didn't need to worry about her turning.

"Good," Vince acknowledged. "Seen Becca yet?"

Sully shook his head. "Fuck, I don't know! Ask... Bonnie or something, we need to focus!"

Vince wiped his brow and backed up, leaving Sully and Em so that they could concentrate on the guards to the group's back as the walkers slowly started surfacing. Dashing down the street, Vince ground to a halt as he landed next to Bonnie. The woman was on the corner of the road, using the vertex as cover against the Sanctum members on the road to the right of the crossroads. She turned and eyed Vince for a moment before locking back on to Silas, her opponent.

"Bonnie!" Vince gasped. "Have you seen Becca?"

"I ain't seen Lowell or the other woman in a long time, I don't know where they went since Wyatt gave 'em time to run." Bonnie informed him. "I think Becca went inside somewhere but I can't really remember." Before Bonnie could continue the exchange Vince darted up and into the closest building; the one next to the set of offices he had used to kill the woman on the roof.

He had to find Becca. He had made a promise long ago to make sure that she was safe and he was going to keep it.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Day 970 – 14:23pm<strong>

**Becca**

Becca was hiding on the first floor of a building with her head in her hands. Her knees were drawn into her chest and she was panicking.

"_Oh, god, this is where it ends, isn't it?"_

Most of the time Becca was blinded by her bullheadedness but not today. He had exhausted herself after 'punishing' Bonnie and all that was left was fear. She was certain that any moment now Silas would bundle through a doorway and he'd drag her kicking and screaming back to Sanctum where they'd use a scalpel to cut her stomach open and play doctors-and-nurses with her internal organs.

Or they would kill her. That was the preferable option of the two.

Becca flinched as someone rushed past the door, but whoever it was didn't think to scour the room. Crisis averted, she let her arms fall to the ground, limp. A slight twinge of pain surged through her left but her right was numb; the nerves on that hand had been cut and burned long ago, leaving the organic wires damaged beyond repair.

Becca looked around the room. Her mind was blank; she couldn't work out how she had got there. Her backpack and its contents were strewn across the room about a metre away; her knife, her pistol, her photo of her father and Shel, some ammunition, an energy bar, a bandage and a spare t-shirt. Her left hand dragged itself across the carpet and tightened around the bandages; she must have retrieved them during the Sanctum escape and had forgotten to tie them around her hand. Rectifying her mistake she wrapped the white material around her palm; one wrap in front of her thumb and the next below it. She repeated the pattern until the bandage was tight and she could no longer see the scar that Vince's machete had left.

She hated looking at it.

Becca's hand tightened around her knife and she slid it into her pocket, aware that a bad fall would send the blade digging into her thigh. She packed whatever would not be useful into her backpack but grabbed her pistol, holding it in her left hand.

Peeking through the window, Becca was surprised at the vantage point she had. She could see Sully and Em firing at two guards on the ground, along with Bonnie to her right.

Becca scowled. _Bonnie._

Running on auto-pilot, Becca pushed the window up and open. The glass squealed but she ignored the noise and leaned out, pointing her pistol at the back of Bonnie's head.

She could do it. She could avenge all the death Bonnie's betrayal of Howe's had caused; Laura, Shel, Miles, Lucia, Daniel and so many others.

She could do it.

Becca's finger began to pull on the trigger before she snapped back to reality. What was she _doing? _What was she going to prove by shooting Bonnie in the back of the head? She had already beaten Bonnie into unconsciousness and called her the worst word under the sun, perhaps Bonnie would suffer more knowing that Becca hated her and knew what she caused. No, no. That was the _old_ Becca thinking. That Becca was _gone_, she wasn't there any more.

Before she could end Bonnie's life, Becca wrenched her left wrist back but still accidentally pulled the trigger. Luckily her bullet did not hit any of her group – instead it powered through the air and slammed into the hand of Sonja, one of Sanctum's guards. The woman screamed in pain, dropping her firearm and darting for safety.

Taking a deep breath, Becca wiped her brow and fell backwards onto the carpet. Her stomach rose and fell as her brain registered the fact that she had shot a woman's fingers off.

"Jesus." she huffed.

She wasn't sure if anyone had died until she recalled a woman toppling off of a roof and landing on a car. She had only seen the aftermath as the slamming noise of human-on-car had been the thing to alert her to the death. That woman had been from Sanctum so she didn't care. All of the guards knew what Sanctum did and even if they didn't agree with it they still let it all happen for their own safety. As far as Becca was concerned they deserved to die, but she didn't want to be the one to kill them.

She sat up and eyed the window again. Walkers were breaching the trees and slowly crawling down the streets in the direction of the battle. That didn't bode well.

Silas had ordered his men and women to fall back, which baffled Becca; wasn't Director Shaw, the leader of Sanctum, supposed to be in charge? Why was Silas calling the shots? At least his order for a slight retreat had given the group a lot of breathing space.

Swallowing her pride, Becca decided that it would be a better course of action to aid the group rather than cowering in an office. Dashing down the stairs she made it to the ground floor and a reception area. Ignoring the booms and crashes outside, she turned to head for the door when she noticed two figures in the corner of the room.

Lowell was struggling, his breath rasping and gurgling as he crouched over Tessa. Becca's eyes widened as she saw the one-armed man desperately trying to revive the woman; judging by the smashed window that looked out onto the road Silas had control of the woman had been hit by a bullet somewhere in her abdomen.

"Lowell!" she gasped. The man glanced at her, his face red, unable to hold back a fearful frown. He was attempting to perform chest compressions but he couldn't get the job done with just one arm. Becca scrabbled over, dropping to her hands and feet for the last couple of metres before landing on her knees beside the fallen comrade.

"She's not getting up!" Lowell cried. "She got hit!"

Becca had no clue as to how she would go about resuscitating Tessa. Running a hand through her hair and sweeping it out of her face the girl studied the slowly growing pool of blood which reflected the afternoon sunlight. "Fuck, fuck!" she hissed. Even if she _could _get Tessa breathing again they still had the bullet to contend with and they had no way to get it out. She pressed her hand against Tessa's neck but felt no pulse.

Finding her right pocket, Becca reached inside. "No pulse and we can't do anything because she's only gonna keep bleeding." she stated. Lowell's eyes widened as she withdrew her knife. "We can only stop her coming back."

Lowell shook his head violently, like a toddler that wasn't getting his own way. He had been trapped in Sanctum for weeks with Tessa, Becca understood that, but they couldn't save her in the middle of a war zone. She raised her knife and pushed Tessa's head to one side, aiming for the temple as Lowell began to move. He darted for her wrist but she was too quick, the blade slamming into Tessa's corpse with no hesitation. Lowell cried out with anguish as he withdrew his arm, only for the limb to fire out again and slap Becca across the face. Collapsing to one side Becca seethed with pain as her knife clattered across the floor, pressing her right half-palm to her cheek.

The one-armed man almost reached out to apologise to her but he hesitated and changed his mind. Standing up he retrieved a pistol from the floor – presumably one which Tessa had dropped - and elbowed the broken window with his remaining appendage. Becca sat up, ready to ask where he was going but Lowell darted out into the warzone without another word, desperate to get revenge on whoever had fatally wounded Tessa.

Sparing Tessa's body one final glance Becca climbed to her feet, still rubbing her cheek where Lowell had lashed out at her. She slid her knife into her pocket and retrieved her pistol with her left hand. Flinching slightly as gunfire echoed outside again, she took a deep breath and released it shakily before lifting her feet one by one, blood dripping from the soles as she ran towards the double doors that led out into the alleyway behind the buildings, ready to fight.


	60. Six Feet Under

**Day 970**

**Wyatt – 14:22pm**

The two of them were crouched behind a car; Wyatt would lean over the bonnet and fire off a few rounds occasionally, but Annie had seized up and was gripping her pistol as her chest heaved up and down. Wyatt couldn't blame her; she was not built for battle nor was she old enough to understand it.

Every now and then Wyatt would check down the street to his right to make sure that Em and Sully were all right. So far they were fine and the Sanctum Guards on the roofs had not bothered them at all thanks to Vince; he had killed one of them and the other had backed off after being shot at. They were doing okay, but the walkers were advancing awfully fast. Shouting orders would distract them both from dealing with the two members of Sanctum still firing at them so Wyatt opted to remain quiet and take care of Annie, hoping that Em and Sully would realise when to move off and leave the two Sanctum members at the walkers' mercy.

Grabbing Annie's wrist, Wyatt glanced over at the other side of the road. Bonnie had her back pressed against the wall, her eyes wide as she looked over at them both. Wyatt made eye contact with the bruise-faced woman and waved her over to them so that she would be safe from the members of Sanctum advancing down the road behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Bonnie gripped her M4, waited for the coast to clear and attempted to make a run for it. Gunfire blasted overhead, shocking Bonnie and stopping her from crossing the street. Wyatt wondered who had fired the bullet but found himself surprised as he saw Sonja, a guard from Sanctum, screaming and wailing as she dropped her weapon with blood spurting from a now disfigured hand.

Wyatt placed a hand on the crown of Annie's hatted head and forced her to the ground as the guard behind Sonja – a middle-aged, bearded man – aimed and fired at their position, assuming it was Wyatt who had attacked his ally.

As the man ducked and stopped to reload, Bonnie took the opportunity to dart in Wyatt's direction, taking a total of around two seconds to cross the street. As soon as she was safe she fell to her backside next to him and grabbed hold of her assault rifle again. "Where is everyone?" she asked, panting.

Wyatt shook his head, slightly panicked as realisation sunk in. "Em and Sully are back behind us, I haven't seen anyone else, man."

Bonnie glanced at Annie. "She's safe, at least."

Wyatt realised his hand was still tightly wrapped around the child's wrist. "I'm not letting her go. She shot at Silas a couple times but I'm not gonna force her to do anything else if I can afford it."

Bonnie paused for thought, pushing her mouth to one side of her face. "Silas - that's the big bald guy, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've seen big guys in shootouts like this," Bonnie admitted, her fingers lightly gracing her bruised face. "You've gotta take out the dangerous guys first. I've seen that people have been killing the weaker lookin' folk but that ain't gonna do. We take out this... _Silas_ and their leader or whoever and the less important ones are just gonna split."

Wyatt shrugged. "And how do we do that, man? How do we take out Silas or Shaw?"

Bonnie pushed herself into a crouched position. "We need to get around the back of 'em, then we can take them down before they even know where we're coming from."

Wyatt nodded in agreement, saying "I guess that if they don't know where we are Annie'll be safer, but, like, how do we get to a safer place without them seeing us?"

The answer to his question came in the form of Lowell diving out of a window on the other side of the street. Blood stained his blue sweater and a scowl stained his face as he gripped a pistol in his single arm and turned the corner, headed for Silas's position. The man who had previously been shooting at Wyatt instantly swiveled and took aim at Lowell, buying the three of them time.

"Come on!" Bonnie hissed, pulling Wyatt up and out of his hiding place. He resisted for only a second, sure that they should be aiding Lowell, but his priority was Annie. He made sure that the child's hand was in his before tugging her around the opposite corner to the one Lowell had charged around.

The three of them retreated down the left-hand road, crouching and attempting to remain out of sight. Before long Wyatt realised that Shaw and another guard had been positioned in this road but they were no longer there.

Bonnie gasped ahead of them, causing Wyatt to freeze. A man charged out in front of them but didn't notice them as he crossed the street. Recognising the man as the one Vince had forced to flee from the rooftops, Wyatt noted that using his gun would attract the attention of the other guards in the town and alert them to his position, so he instead opted to run as silently as possible, leaving Bonnie and Annie behind him while he approached the red-shirted man. Standing up behind him, he raised the stock of his weapon and slammed it fiercely into the man's head, knocking him unconscious but not killing him; Wyatt was going to avoid murder if he could, knowing that the man would probably never wake up before the walkers that were slowly breaching the town reached him.

Making his way back to Bonnie and Annie, Wyatt noted the corpses of two more doctors; one of them had been shot but the other was a mess of bites and slashes. Not wanting to risk the body waking up as a walker and attacking them, Wyatt used the stock of his weapon to smash its brain in. After a few strikes he returned back to Bonnie and confirmed that they were in the clear.

Another corner was situated at the end of the road, turning right. They would have to go that way, then right again before a final turn in the same direction if they wanted to get behind their targets, effectively moving in a large circle.

"We need to keep track of these folks," Bonnie warned him, "We don't want to forget about one of 'em and pay for it later."

Wyatt nodded. "Haven't seen Silas or Shaw in a while, Sonja and that guy with the beard are to the north street, Curtis and that woman are being taken care of by Sully and Em. Vince shot that one woman and we just took out that other guy. All the doctors are dead as far as I can tell. I think there's one guard to the east and one of them is with Shaw. There was that guy on the roof that Silas told to search for Hector and I haven't seen him since then."

"That leaves nine of 'em, and seven of us. I ain't seen Becca or Tessa or Tyler in a while so we can't take them into account." Bonnie informed him.

"Right," Wyatt said, "let's try and stay on top of things. If we take out Sonja and that other guy we'll even things up a bit."

Bonnie turned without acknowledging his words and began the long walk around the block. As Wyatt followed, he couldn't help but wonder where Shaw and Silas were. Silas in particular was the most dangerous as he was looking to kill people, not injure them, so Wyatt would have to keep his eye out for the bald, green-coated man if he wanted to stay alive.

The journey around the block only took about a minute and a half as the three of them ran into no obstructions. Wyatt pressed his back against the street corner and stared down the road, recognising Sonja and the bearded guard, both of whom had their backs to them as they shot at someone else. Around a hundred metres away Wyatt could also make out the figures of Sully and Emily – they were still alive.

Wyatt observed as Bonnie lined up a shot at Sonja, who was cowering behind a car, clutching her annihilated fingers. Unfortunately the guard's eyes were flitting around the area and she noticed her potential killer, crying out and shifting to the left slightly. Bonnie fired anyway, her bullet clipping the female guard's shoulder as the male turned his attention away from whoever he had been shooting at previously.

Yelling at Sonja to make a run for it the man took aim and fired at Bonnie, who ducked back behind the wall with Wyatt and Annie.

"I think I can get a shot on him if you give me some covering fire," Wyatt noted, "I just need to get an angle on him from the other end of the road."

Bonnie gripped her M4, her eyes narrowing as she eyed their attacker. "You got it."

Wyatt looked at Annie. "Stay here, dude; I don't want you to get in trouble."

Ignoring the child's light amount of hesitancy to let him go off on his arm, Wyatt waited for Bonnie to lean past the corner and start shooting before making a run for it and diving behind a trash can. The cover was dangerous; he was sure that part of his body was sticking out and a bullet would embed itself there imminently but he neglected to give it a second thought knowing that he only had seconds before the man would realise what was happening. He leaned around the bin, stared at the guard who was taking cover behind a burnt-out car, lined up a shot and fired.

The bullet struck the man, tearing through the side of his body and into the wall of his stomach. As Bonnie's fire died down it took the guard a few seconds to register that he had been shot before he collapsed to the ground, a pool of crimson fluid already forming around his dying body.

Realising that he had a decent angle on the fleeing form of Sonja, Wyatt prepared to fire at the woman but when he pulled the trigger he realised that she was too far away for his attacks to be accurate enough to hit her. She probably wouldn't get far with a bullet in her shoulder and a series of missing fingers.

Now that the coast was clear Wyatt drew himself up to his full height and headed over to the corner where Bonnie and Annie had presumably retreated. "Well," he announced, quite gladly. "That went easier than..."

He paused as he turned the corner. "...Expected."

There was no one there. Bonnie and Annie were gone.

"Annie?!" Wyatt gasped, his eyes searching the area as he panicked. "Oh, fuck. Annie?! ANNIE?!"

* * *

><p><span><strong>Becca – 14:34pm<strong>

Emerging from an alleyway, Becca spotted Emily and Sully just ahead of her. Not wanting to distract them she raised her hands in surrender just in case they assumed she wasn't friendly as she advanced on them. Sully spotted her first, a worried glance on his face. He wasn't wearing his hat for some reason – Becca had never seen him without it. The top of his head was extremely messy with thick, black hair that matched that on the back of his head. He still had the red, bloody stain on the side of his face from earlier and his mismatched eyes darted around frantically.

Emily noticed Becca not long after her friend, her face similarly spattered with blood, albeit on the opposite cheek. She crouched behind the car and beckoned Becca over, glad that someone was there to help. "We've been dealing with these guys for about twenty minutes now," the red headed woman informed her. "We're low on ammo, _they're _low on ammo and there's walkers on the way."

Becca peeked over the bonnet; sure enough, a herd had been attracted by the gunfire, possibly the same herd that had come from the hills earlier in that day.

"I don't think they're paying much attention to the dead," Sully admitted, "The only reason we are is because we're looking right at them."

"Can't we just get out of here?" Becca asked.

"No telling if they'll follow us," Emily told her. "If we just go into that alleyway they can just follow us. At least here they're pinned down and they can't hurt anyone else – where are the others, anyway?"

"Wyatt and Annie and the redhead ran off a while ago," Sully told her. "Vince went inside – looking for _Becca_, I think. Dunno where the rest are."

"Lowell went after Silas and Tessa's dead." Becca admitted.

"Dead?" Emily blurted. "You sure?"

Becca nodded gravely. "I had to stop her coming back. I haven't seen Tyler at all, either."

"He's probably a flake or something," Sully growled, "Probably up and left as soon as this all got too tense."

"It's a good thing you're here, though," Emily told Becca, "Do you have any ammo?"

Becca shook her head, but handed Em her pistol. "I only have this. You use it, you're probably a better shot than me, with my hand and all."

Em nodded and fired at Curtis and his ally, ducking behind the car when she was done. She looked over her shoulder at Sully and grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him back down behind the vehicle. His face was vacant, a slightly shocked expression barely visible as his eyes glazed over. For a moment Becca thought he had been shot and was only just recognising the fact until she realised that this must have been how she looked once she'd seized up after punching Bonnie.

"Sully?" Em asked, placing a hand on the man's shoulder and shaking him. "Sully, can you hear me?"

Sully kept attempting to rise and direct his vision past the guards that were attacking them. Becca looked over the bonnet and stared down the street, avoiding Curtis and the other woman, searching for whatever Sully was trying to stare at.

"Oh."

In the midst of the herd, staggering amongst the dead, was a teenager wearing a brown hoodie. He limped quite badly, his eyes glazed over like Sully's with his neck and stomach torn open. His black hair was matted down and his skin was a pale grey tone.

"Emily, don't look - you don't want to see this." Becca warned. Em almost ignored her advice, curiosity taking priority, but Becca's words hit home and she knew that the teenager was serious.

"Sully," Emily growled, shaking the man again, "Goddamnit Sully, snap out of it!" She raised her hand and slapped him across the face. "It's for your own good!"

Sully's eyes regained some life as his best friend's palm made contact with his face. He spluttered a few awkward breaths and then exhaled deeply. "Fuck..." he cried. "_Why?"_

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure it's not a good thing to know." Em told him. "Come on, just ignore it, focus on Sanctum and getting out of here."

Sully slowly rose back into a crouching position, his head turning to look at the herd every few seconds before he forced himself to look away before he could see the awful sight again. "What do we do?" he muttered, asking Emily for guidance. Becca eyed the two of them curiously, wondering how they were going to handle the two guards.

She didn't need to worry.

A cry of pain resonated through the air, causing Becca to shoot up and stare over the car bonnet. The walkers had been much closer than either group had anticipated and Curtis had been bitten on the neck and the shoulder by one of them. The female guard was firing at the herd now instead of Emily, Sully and Becca, but Curtis, though bitten, was waving her off.

"Lilly!" he growled, blood dribbling from his mouth, "Retreat!"

The woman ignored the orders, trying to help him by shooting at the dead but he had already collapsed to his knees and was tipping forwards. Emily grabbed Becca's wrist and pulled her backwards, knowing that this was a good time to make a run for it and find the others. Sully got up too and the three of them began sprinting back towards the junction in the hope that they could meet up with the others.

A brief boom powered through the air, coming from behind them.

Sully gasped in pain as a bullet embedded itself in the centre of his thigh. Unable to continue running the man pinned his hand to his leg and hit the ground, seething with pain. Emily turned on the spot and fired Becca's pistol at the remaining guard named Lilly, but the woman was already making a run for it, ducking into an alleyway as a few walkers gave chase.

Becca, Em and Sully had only made it a few steps before the last of the three had been cut down in his tracks. He was lying on his stomach, desperately attempting to push himself into a standing position as the walkers got closer and closer.

"Fuck!" Sully sighed, the fear and desperation audible in his shaky voice, "This isn't gonna work! Just fucking go!"

Em reached for his arm and tried to wrap it around her shoulder but the man pushed her away. "Em, please, just go! I'll slow you down, the walkers'll catch up!"

"Becca," Em muttered, her head whipping around as she looked at the teenager, passing her the pistol. "Here. Go."

Becca gripped the weapon and took a few steps back, but she wasn't willing to leave them behind. "Becca! Becca, please," Sully started, "get Emily out of here. I'm not letting her die! I don't want to drag her down with me!"

The man glanced down as Emily wrapped her hands around one of his. She looked at him, determined to remain by his side. "Sully, I'm not leaving. After everything; Lucy, my dad, Fuad, Kiff, Mitchell... we've been through it all together. I don't want that to end, I don't want to have to deal with it without you by my side, because life isn't worth living without you."

Sully hesitated, his mouth opening to say something, but he paused. He looked at Becca, his eyes telling her to run and leave them both; it was what they wanted. He looked back at Emily, his expression remaining the same as they stared at each other, right up to the point where Emily pressed her hands to the sides of his cheeks and her lips against his.

Becca watched for a second, a smirk creeping upon her face which immediately ceased as she saw how close the herd truly was. Turning, she neglected to give the two of them another look, instead wanting to maintain the image of tranquility and happiness amid the chaos of the apocalypse as she left them behind as instructed.

She darted around the corner, heading down the road to the east, unsure of where she intended to go. Hopefully she'd find Lowell; he was the last person she had seen before Sully and Emily.

Becca slipped across some blood that was spilled over the asphalt. Hoping that it wasn't from a member of her own group, she gave it no second thought as she slipped into a back street to remain out of sight. Walking backwards to make sure no one was following her, Becca held her pistol tightly, her own sweat mixing with that of Emily's which had remained on the grip.

Her heart sank as she backed into something – something that was soft, something that moved as she made contact with it. Gasping, Becca moved to turn but a hand clamped over her mouth. For a split second she hoped that it was one of her group trying to keep her quiet to avoid giving away their position but she had no such luck.

"I've been waiting for you to show your face." Silas growled. Becca felt her eyes widening as her brows raised in fear, the man pressing one hand on her shoulder and holding the other firmly over her mouth as he ordered her to drop her weapon. "I know what role you played in all this," Silas continued, "I know that you fancy yourself as a... genius of sorts, loosening the boards to our settlement and creating a little escape hole for yourself. Everything could've gone fine if you hadn't overreacted and had just remained in your hospital bed. We were only looking to do blood tests, sample some spinal fluid, maybe take a kidney from one of your friends but you weren't going to die.

"Now folks are dead. Your friends, my friends, it doesn't matter, they were all people. I had to shoot that woman because she was shooting at me. I'm fairly certain Mike probably dealt with Wyatt and the young girl and you should've seen Vince _beg _before I put him out of his misery."

Becca's heart began to race. Vince couldn't be dead, could he?

Silas pressed the barrel of a revolver between her shoulder blades. "It's just you and me." Silas muttered. "And now I have to kill you."

He pushed her forwards, back out into the middle of the street. Once they were both there he checked to the left and the right before shoving her onto her knees. "If you scream, I'll kill you sooner." Silas warned her, "I can tell you don't want that."

Grimacing, Becca stared at a puddle that had been left by the rain earlier in the day. She could see Silas reflected in it; the grin on his face as he pressed the gun to the back of her head. Hopefully someone would come to her aid but she doubted it. Out of all the times she was sure she was going to die – Marshall's chase, being bitten, Ivan's torture, being drugged by Shaw and being caught after the failed escape, and many other instances in between – this was the one. This was the one where she knew that it was over. No one was coming to help her this time.

So she would have to help herself. She had nothing to lose. She could probably think of a plan while Silas gloated.

"You don't have to worry about being missed, you know," Silas smirked, "all your friends are dead anyway. All of the crew you came into Sanctum with. I don't know about Hector; I haven't seen him since I inspected your cell yesterday. He's probably dead and if he isn't... let's just say his mommy won't be proud of him killing one of the doctors. Then again most of his mommy is in a series of jars back at Sanctum and the rest in in an urn."

Becca was getting sick of Silas's words, but there was nothing she could feasibly do without it taking less than a second for him to pull the trigger and blow her brains out. Maybe she could trip him up somehow or at least get the gun away from the back of her head, but she needed to figure out how to do it. She couldn't dodge out of the way; it was too dangerous. She couldn't exactly stand on his foot because she wasn't positioned for it.

Her hands were free, though. She had not been tied up.

She had to try.

Making a note of where Silas's arm was, Becca made sure her right hand was open and that she had enough space to move. Once she was sure she had everything she needed, Becca tuned back into to Silas's monologuing and made sure he was semi-distracted by his own words before acting.

He was pressing the revolver so far into the back of her head that he was practically leaning forwards. Using this to her advantage, Becca quickly swept her head to the right, tilting her body so that Silas was thrown off-balance, tipping forwards with nothing to place his weight on. As she turned, the man fired the weapon, the bullet passing harmlessly through the gap between her head and left shoulder, embedding itself in the road ahead of her. Maintaining her twist Becca raised her right hand and grabbed Silas's wrist, squeezing it so hard that the man dropped his weapon on the pavement as he collapsed on his stomach.

Becca kicked the revolver down the street, the gun skittering across the rainy pavement and under a car, only realising that she should have picked it up once it had disappeared out of sight. While Silas attempted to push himself back to his feet, Becca broke into a sprint, not willing to hang around and wait for him to attack her.

As she ran Becca didn't look over her shoulder, knowing that Silas was probably right behind her. By this point walkers were probably surrounding her too, but she was determined not to give up as she pushed on, passing streets and buildings, eventually making her way out of the town and finding the woods outside of it.

Becca paused, her arms held just out to her sides as she glanced around, her ears still ringing from the gunshot that could have killed her. Turning on the spot had not really helped her get her bearings, in fact it had probably done more harm; she was lost.

Stopping to take a breath, Becca rested her palm against a tree. If _she _didn't know where she was, Silas certainly didn't. That said, she had never had much luck while being chased through woods.

Sighing deeply, she pressed her back against a tree trunk and slowly slid down into a sitting position. She crossed her arms over her knees and rested her forehead on top of them. She was out of it; she was done. She had escaped the gunfight.

Recalling Silas's words, Becca couldn't be sure whether Vince, Wyatt and Annie were actually dead or not. She didn't particularly fancy their chances against Sanctum, but she didn't want to head back into the town, either. Perhaps she would make her way back to the farmhouse and see if anyone linked up with her there and if no one did, she'd try and head for Indiana and the Eastland Mall. It may have been a state over, but Becca had nowhere else to go without risking running into any remaining members of Sanctum.

Becca paused. A faint fuzzing noise was filling her head. She had become so accustomed to it that she had almost ignored it completely, and that would have come at the cost of her life.

Though she'd just been planning to eat something from her backpack, Becca begrudgingly pushed herself to her feet and groaned at the sound of walkers perking up in the forest. Weaponless, she forced herself away from the tree and got ready to run once more, knowing that she'd probably never make it out.

Once more unto the breach.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Vince – 14:43pm<strong>

It had been about twenty minutes since Vince had first started looking for Becca, and he still couldn't find her. He had not been looking for the whole time, however; he had been distracted by numerous members of Sanctum who wanted a piece of him and eventually found himself on the other side of town along with Tyler. The two of them had chased Sanctum's leader, Director Shaw, along with two guards named Phil and Scarlet.

The two guards were busy fending off Vince and Tyler while Shaw hung back. The woman fancied herself as some sort of pacifist who was abstaining from aiding her own allies, though Vince was fine with that. It meant that there was one less person to worry about. What he was _not _fine with was the fact that they were in yet another shootout with one side reloading while the other shot at them and then they would alternate. Neither side had the high ground or any sort of advantage, all they were doing was wasting ammo.

Vince was crouched behind a truck. The vehicle's cab had crashed into a building and it had tipped onto its side a long time ago, providing cover which was positioned so that Vince didn't have to worry about enemies approaching from the right while he leaned past the corner and fired. Tyler was ahead of him and to the right, hanging behind a concrete roadblock. An identical structure was to the other side of the road alongside back street but Vince didn't want to risk running for it.

"Just return to Sanctum willingly, this does not need to happen; no one else needs to die!" Shaw called, still cowering behind cover.

Shaking his head at the woman's immaturity, Vince yelled back. "You tell your people to turn around and leave us alone. Then I'll consider letting you live."

"You believe our mission to be unethical when it is for the greater good. You would kill us anyway." Shaw told him.

Vince snarled."Just like you'd kill us once we were no longer useful!"

"Scarlet, Phil," Shaw ordered her allies. "Make sure you do not kill these people. We need them for a cure, so merely handicap them until they are able to be restrained."

Vince chuckled under his breath. They wouldn't get the chance.

His eye was drawn for a moment by movement to the alleyway on the left of the street. It was slightly blocked from his vision by a roadside tree, so Vince couldn't be sure what was down there. It could have been a Sanctum member, one of his own people or a walker; there were three separate factions participating in the battle and Vince had not been anticipating the involvement of the dead.

Sighing with exasperation, Vince rubbed his eyes with the backs of his wrists before leaning past the truck again and firing at one of the guards. His bullet caught the woman's arm, causing her to pause and grip it, seething in pain. Tyler seized the chance, darting up and firing a well-aimed shot at the woman's head. The top-right portion of scarlet's head exploded as the slug embedded itself there, with pieces of blood and brain spurting metres away from the woman's collapsing body. Vince almost threw up as he spotted an eyeball rolling across the street.

The 'thing' moved in the alleyway again. A figure emerged, headed for the concrete barrier on the opposite side of the road to Tyler. Vince smirked as he recognised a familiar muddy, bloody figure. The man crouched behind cover and made eye contact with him as the remaining Sanctum guard, Shaw and Tyler all identified him.

Vince was fairly certain that this was the first time Hector had shown his face during the entire gunfight; honestly he thought the man had been doomed to perish via walkers after saving Emily, but he had miraculously escaped and had probably been alerted to the sounds of gunfire. Hector probably didn't even want to be here, but some minor semblance of loyalty must have driven him to their aid. The man raised his hand to summon Vince over but his gesture was quickly drowned out.

"Vince!" Tyler called, "This way!"

Eyeing Hector and then Tyler, Vince decided that he would have to make a choice; did he aid Hector, who was in bad shape but was the relatively more trustworthy of the two, or did he help Tyler who was armed but had a bad temper?

Putting it down to who needed his help the most, Vince decided to run towards Hector assuming that Tyler would be able to hold his own. He sidled up next to the ex-Sanctum guard and they looked at each other briefly before staring at Tyler across the street. The one eyed man scowled at them and turned away, attempting to attack the remaining Sanctum Guard – Phil – and Shaw once more.

"How the fuck did you make it out?" Vince asked. "You bit?"

Hector shook his head. "Just ran. Limped. Heard guns, came here."

"I don't know where anyone else is; I'm looking for Becca, have you seen her?"

"You're the first." Hector told him.

Vince turned his attention back towards his enemies. Tyler was having a tough time dealing with them, but he wasn't giving in; these people had taken his eye and he wasn't going to let them get away with it. The one-eyed man glanced at Vince and Hector for a moment, ducking as he decided to run to them. Vince shook his head, knowing that it was a risky maneuver but Tyler paid him no attention instead sprinting from one concrete barrier to the other. As he attempted to do so the remaining Sanctum guard shot at Tyler, the bullet digging into his arm. Yelling in pain, Tyler dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground, providing the guard with a clear shot at his head.

"Tyler!" Vince growled, "get out of there!"

The man barely managed to pull himself back to his feet as another bullet smacked into the asphalt just ahead of him. Instead of joining up with Vince and Hector, Tyler decided to abandon ship and made a run for the truck which Vince had previously taken cover behind. Once the man was out of harm's way he clutched his arm and continued sprinting, deserting them both.

Scowling, Vince looked at the remaining guard and waited for him to duck back down and attempt to reload. Once the man did as expected he reached out of his cover and seized the pistol which Tyler had left behind, giving it to Hector.

"Just Phil and Shaw left." Hector grunted. "Phil, funnily enough, is the asshole I left guarding the cell while I burned Sanctum down, he's the bastard I knocked out. Thought he would've died in the fire."

Vince's eyes narrowed. "We can probably fix that."

Hector nodded. "Good to see where your loyalties lie."

Vince paused; was Hector referring to the fact that Vince had run to him instead of Tyler, or was it because both of them seemed to suggest that killing Phil was what they wanted? Vince definitely didn't want to _kill _anyone, but a lot of the time his hand was forced. Hector, however, seemed determined to want each and every member of Sanctum dead.

Phil's head popped back up from his cover further down the street. Vince attempted to rise and fire at him but Hector placed a hand on his shoulder and made sure he stayed down. Taking Vince's place, the ex-guard shot up and pointed his weapon at Phil, but did not fire.

The guard froze up instantly; either he was completely terrified of the fact that Hector was aiming at him or they had some sort of past. Vince assumed that Phil was remembering how Hector had knocked him out and burned down Sanctum, how the last thing he had seen was the stock of Hector's weapon slamming into his head before he woke up hours later with nowhere to call home. The guard remained still for a moment, staring at Hector, and then turned to flee like Tyler had done.

"That went better than expected." Hector muttered. "He could've shot me, but Phil was always a coward."

"He _did _shoot Tyler, though." Vince reminded him.

Hector shook his head. "Only a graze across the arm. Phil could never kill anyone even though he stuck around with people who did." He raised his pistol and walked out into the middle of the road. "Now we can take care of a few things."

Vince gripped his gun and followed Hector, making sure to check the area for any signs of friends, foes or undead. The duo walked down the street, finding the silver-haired Director Shaw hiding behind a similarly coloured car. The woman weakly held her pistol up at Hector, her wrist shaking until the man grabbed it and slammed her hand into the bumper of the nearby vehicle, loosening her grip and forcing her to drop her weapon.

"Words." Hector growled, pointing Tyler's gun at the woman. "Say them."

Shaw paused for a moment at Hector's odd request before putting them all together. Vince had only seen the woman two times before; once during his 'induction meeting' that turned out to be a front for some form of non-consensual surgery plot and then again after the group's failed attempt to escape. During both of those points the woman had been in control of the situation and had been the one giving orders. It was odd seeing her about to beg for mercy like any other living person.

"Hector," Shaw began, "You do not have to do this." Her voice was panicked, but it still maintained its monotonous tone which provided her words with an unintentional hint of sarcasm. "Too many of my people – _your friends – _have died today."

Hector scoffed. "They were never my friends. I'm not like them."

Shaw raised an eyebrow at the pistol aimed at her chest, negating the man's argument. "Every point I make, you shall just ignore. I surrender."

Hector's eyes narrowed. "This is too easy. You have something up your sleeve."

Shaw shook her head. "You consider me to be a super villain. I am but a woman who dreamed of curing the world at the cost of a few lives. We could have made a breakthrough but to do so we would have had to behind closed doors, covertly. No one would have _willingly _given themselves to science unless they were dead, and the dead were not what we needed. So we provided food for those who came to us and in return we took what we needed. From a completely impartial standpoint it all would have worked well if I had not neglected to factor in... _wild cards." _She eyed Vince, then chuckled.

"The little girl, the pretty one with the baseball cap. I was foolish to give her such little credit when I first laid eyes on her as I watched you all entering my compound for the first time. I should have known she was integral to your group, and would be the one you all protected, the one you made sure escaped first. I should have recognised that those... social releasers of hers would have caused someone from the outside to join her cause and aid you. If it had been any other member of your group no one would have given you a second chance, but it had to be the little girl, didn't it?"

Hector shook his head. "Get to the point, _Adelaide."_

Shaw wiped one of her cold, silvery eyes as she looked at Hector again. "Your mother used to call me that."

"Don't talk about her."

"Noted." Shaw nodded, "So, now that my Sanctum is destroyed and the people it housed are either deceased, missing or have betrayed the best interests of humanity, what is it that you wish to do with me? Perhaps you should discuss which brutal method of execution you plan to use."

Hector looked at Vince for support. They were at the end of things now, they just needed to work out what they would do, and what their actions would make them become.

"We have to kill her." Hector muttered. His voice was quiet yet determined, as if he could only see one feasible way out of the situation. "For what she's done."

Vince cast his mind back a long way. He had been in a similar situation once before; a man who had attempted to kill his group had been at his mercy, and instead of killing him, Wyatt had told Vince to let the man go so long as he atoned for what he and his group had done to them. The man had disappeared, never to be seen again and had most likely died not long after but Vince had been able to retain his humanity and give him a chance.

Shaw, however, was a different case. If they let her free the woman would most likely find another laboratory or hospital and start Sanctum anew, desperate to find a cure at the cost of peoples' lives. Letting her escape just would not do.

Vince crouched, sliding his backpack off of his shoulders and wincing as he strained his left slightly. The pain of the bullet wound was still there, but it was more of a sore ache than a piercing, burning sensation. He reached inside and retrieved a spare belt.

Grabbing Shaw's shoulders aggressively, Vince pressed the woman's hands behind her back and created a sort of figure of eight with the belt, fashioning a set of makeshift handcuffs. Once the woman was fully bound, he turned her back onto her knees and tied the belt to the back of the car. Reaching into his bag again he tore out some tape and pressed it over Shaw's mouth.

"I don't know what to do with you," he announced, "so fate can decide for us both. Perhaps walkers will find you, or perhaps travelers will and they'll be able to make a better judgement than Hector or I." To make sure that wanderers and strangers would know exactly what Shaw was, Vince withdrew a pen and wrote "KILLER" on her forehead.

When he had finished Vince regarded the woman as an almost comical sight, but he had done all that he could. He had no energy left in him to kill anyone else so he decided to leave it up to whoever found her next.

Turning to leave Shaw behind, Vince waited for Hector to fall into line next to him. It took a few moments but the man eventually linked up with him, a grimace on his face, _clearly_ not satisfied with Shaw's punishment.

Vince didn't look back. Shaw could stay there and rot, be eaten, murdered or liberated. He didn't care, and he wasn't going to let it keep him up at night. He would find the group, head to Eastland and they would start anew, leaving all of this behind them.

Hector hung back for a moment, prompting Vince to look at him and wonder what he was waiting for. It only took him a second to provide some insight:

"I'm gonna go look for Tyler." Hector muttered.

Vince nodded grimly, before turning away from the man and walking briskly away from the area. Somehow he doubted that Hector would follow through with his words; somehow he thought that Hector was going back for Shaw, to kill her or torture her or whatever he desired for peace of mind.

Vince didn't want to see what happened next, so he just kept walking. He didn't want to travel with Hector if the man was doing as Vince assumed, so he kept walking.

He just wanted to get away.

So he kept walking.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Annie – 14:56pm<strong>

Annie was alone and frightened.

It had all happened in a few split seconds – first Wyatt had been running across the street to get an angle on one of the members of Sanctum, leaving Annie with Bonnie, and then another guard had showed up behind them. Bonnie had grabbed Annie's wrist and pulled her away, half-hoping to escape and half-hoping to distract the man from Wyatt. They had succeeded in achieving the latter.

The guard that had chased them was the man Silas had shouted to just before everybody had started shooting at each other; the man on the roof with the blue cap named Martin. Annie was not sure why she remembered that now but it was stuck in her head for some reason.

She had been running away from the man from so long it had taken her a while to realise that Bonnie was no longer with her and neither was Wyatt.

It was just a seven-year-old alone in the afternoon sun now, with a member of Sanctum potentially chasing her. As far as she could tell Wyatt was safe and he had shot the other guard but she wasn't sure if he knew that 'Martin' had appeared.

She needed to find a safe place to hide until she saw someone she recognised. Wyatt or Becca were preferable, though Vince, Sully, Em or Bonnie would also be a welcome sight. Tessa seemed okay too but she didn't really want to see Lowell or Tyler.

Backing into a building, Annie elected to loop back around to try and find Wyatt. At least she knew where he was. She would run through the building and go all the way around the block until she found her way back to her starting place.

As she crept through the building, Annie heard muffled shouting. She ducked down beneath a window, out of sight, and then crept along past the next window until she made it to the third one down. Lifting her backwards-hatted heat, Annie peeked was standing there with his hands raised, chuckling. Tilting her head to the left she spotted Lowell aiming a pistol at the man. As much as she hated Silas she couldn't even bring herself to think 'kill him!'

As far as she could tell Silas was growling at Lowell to calm down and think about what he was doing but Lowell was having none of it, shouting at his enemy.

Annie's stomach sank as Lowell clearly pronounced the words "You killed-" but she couldn't make out the name as she heard it through the wall. Silas lowered his head and accepted his fate as Lowell raised the weapon again and pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Annie gasped. The gun was empty.

Silas chuckled, shrugging confidently and pouting as if he pitied the man. Striding forward boldly, Silas reached behind his back, into the waistband of his trousers. Lowell took a step back but he was too slow as the Sanctum soldier withdrew his own revolver and thrust the barrel up into the bottom of Lowell's rib cage. Annie gasped and ducked down behind the window, knowing what was coming next, only catching sight of Silas's sinister grin as he applied pressure to the trigger.

Pinning her hands over her ears Annie heard three muffled gunshots. She gave herself a moment before looking back up and out of the window. Silas was still standing, though the breast of his jacket was soaked through with blood and his face was lightly spattered. Lowell was nowhere to be seen, though Annie guessed that his body was on the ground, barely holding on to its last few breaths of life.

Silas's demeanor quickly changed as he looked ahead, past where Lowell had just been standing. The man's mouth opened in a silent curse and he turned to run in the opposite direction, a terrified expression on his face.

Once he was gone Annie pressed her face to the window in an attempt to see what Silas was running from, hoping in her childish mind that it was Bonnie and Wyatt, guns raised and ready to fire.

She had no such luck. Instead of her group she was faced with a growing crowd walkers that were eagerly following Silas's footsteps. Opening her mouth in fear and awe, Annie backed away from the window and turned back the way she had come, deciding that her chances were better against Silas than a colossal mass of the deceased.

Dashing out of the building Annie noticed Silas running through a gap between two houses, walkers hot on his tail. She didn't much care for his survival, but she wanted to keep track of him so she could avoid running into him.

"Annie?! ANNIE?!"

Her ears perked up at the sound of Wyatt's voice. She turned to face the east, the direction where she had last seen Wyatt and began running, barely acknowledging the walkers any more. Wyatt was around; she would be safe with him.

Within half a minute she found herself back at the spot where she had last seen Wyatt but the man was not there. Twisting on the spot she looked further up the road and saw a figure performing similar actions by a series out trees on the outskirts of the town.

It _had _to be him.

Annie prepared to break into a bounding run down the road to reunite with Wyatt until something clicked behind her. Wincing, she slowly looked over her shoulder and quivered as she recognised the familiar form of Martin, the Sanctum guard, holding a pistol to the back of her head.

"Thought you could hide, huh?" the man growled, "Well, girlie_, _you led me right to your pal over there. Get moving, we're going for a walk."

Annie shuddered as the man nudged the back of her head with the barrel of his rifle, sticking it down and under the peak of her backwards cap. "Haven't seen the redhead," he explained, "but you'll do well enough. Shaw'll promote me for rounding up two of you, no doubt."

Fearing that she would burst into tears if she opened her mouth to reply, Annie remained quiet even though she could feel her face tensing and heating as moisture built in her half-closed eyes. She did not _want _to go back to Sanctum, she just wanted to go away and be somewhere _safe._

Her feet dragged across the ground as they made their way to Wyatt and the trees. Not knowing where to put her hands she just let them hang loosely by her sides and held onto her feelings of strain and worry.

Wyatt noticed them as they came within ten metres of him. He started to say her name, then raised his weapon, aiming at Martin before realising that Annie was a hostage. "Let her go, man!" he ordered, through gritted teeth. In response Martin sneered at him before giving him instructions. "Your rifle," he growled, "put it down and kick it where you can't reach it or the kid dies."

Wyatt reached for the strap of his rifle before pausing. "If you kill her you won't be able to take her back to Sanctum." he muttered, thinking he had leverage on the guard. Martin only sneered. "I only need to bring back one of you."

Groaning, Wyatt dropped his weapon on the ground and pushed it away with his foot. It slid across the wet ground for a few seconds before grinding to a halt around nine metres away. Martin instructed him to put his hands in the air and Wyatt obliged, showing his palms. Once the guard was certain he was clear and Wyatt couldn't reach a weapon he gripped Annie's shoulder, turned her around and shoved her towards the blonde, bearded man. Collapsing onto her backside Annie felt something fall out of her backpack and clatter on the muddy concrete behind her – she must not have zipped it up properly.

Eyeing Martin intensely, Annie reached behind her for whatever she had dropped as the man spoke into a walkie talkie, his concentration on his captives slightly broken as he tried to get through to one of his allies. Annie almost grinned as she felt the cold metal of a pistol slide between her fingers as she rose to her feet.

"Anyone there?" Martin asked, "Got two captives right here with me. The fat, beardy one and the little baby one."

Annie growled like a weak wolf cub as her left hand raised her pistol and pointed it at Martin. "I'm not a baby!" she cried, pulling the trigger. Martin's head turned to look at her as she spoke, but it was too late for him. Her bullet cut through his pectoral like a hot knife through butter.

Martin's eyes widened to an almost comical size as he looked at the bullet wound in his chest. His eyelids fluttered for a moment and he started to stagger backwards. In a final moment of lucidity he raised his gun and aimed it at Annie's head, muttering "You... bitch..."

Annie winced as he pulled the trigger with a bang.

Hunched over, Annie had her hands pressed against her closed eyes.

Nothing happened.

But he shot her – surely she must be dead?

Annie loosened up and looked up to see something blocking her vision of Martin.

She saw something red and sticky on her forearm. It was blood, but it wasn't hers.

Annie looked to her left and then directly ahead. Her breaths started getting deeper and more rapid as she put the pieces together. Her head kept moving forward and backwards as her eyebrows tilted upwards. Looking up at the thing blocking her view she felt a lump from in her throat as Wyatt looked over his shoulder back at her.

It seemed like the moment had been frozen in time but as soon as Annie put everything together it all snapped back and resumed. Wyatt took a deep breath and staggered backwards, collapsing against a thick tree trunk, grunting with pain as Annie glanced over at Martin's corpse and then back to him.

The blonde haired man winced in pain as he pinned his left hand to his stomach and seethed in pain, a hollow, stilted cry of pain emerging through his gritted teeth.

Annie rushed over to him and watched as blood spilled through the gaps between his fingers and he reached for her pistol. Not knowing what he was doing Annie trusted him and let him have it, relieved when he only used it to shoot Martin in the head, preventing reanimation.

"_Fuck," _Wyatt gasped, "I can't... _shit!"_

Annie put a hand on his shoulder and attempted to get him to look at her. "You're going to be okay, right? Please say you're going to be okay. Wyatt, _please!"_

"Bullet... didn't... go through. It's still in me." Wyatt gasped, and then grunted again in pain. "Shit. _Fuck."_

"Get it out!" Annie cried, "Please, get it out!"

"Can't... get it..." Wyatt gasped, his arm scrabbling along the floor for something. "Annie..."

Feeling a surge of warmth as Wyatt grabbed her hand with his own and strenuously turned his head to face hers. Colour was already leaving his face. "You shot him."

Annie glanced at Martin again, all too aware that she had caused his death. "No!" she cried, "No! If I hadn't he wouldn't have shot you! This is my fault!" She attempted to run a hand through her hair but only succeeded in nudging her hat off.

"Annie... _no," _Wyatt breathed, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "He was gonna, either way, dude. You saved us then I... saved you."

Annie slammed her palms into her temples repeatedly. "No! Don't die, Wyatt, please! You shouldn't have saved me, I'm not important, I can't do anything right, Wyatt! I'm just stupid and a waste!"

Wyatt shook his head. "No." He told her. "If you were... a waste, why would I save you?"

"You shouldn't have, Wyatt! You need to live because otherwise I'm on my own!" Annie felt drips and streams slowly crawling down her face from the springs that were her eyes. "Wyatt, don't!"

"Annie," Wyatt coughed, "_You _are important. I'd protect you... at all costs, man."

Annie whimpered and allowed a long squeal to escape her throat as she started to bawl. "You need to live – you could have... a wife and kids and stuff and you... you _need _to live!"

Wyatt lifted his hand away from his wound and placed both arms around the child's back, pulling her into a painful embrace. "Whaddya mean I _could've _had kids, man?" he choked, "...I had you, didn't I?"

Annie wailed into Wyatt's neck, neglecting the fact that Wyatt's blood was soaking into her clothes and her tears and snot were covering him. Wyatt lifted one of his hands and put it to his face, waiting for Annie to let go before telling her what he was doing.

Pushing herself away, Annie watched tears drip from her face and hit the ground like the rain had done earlier. Looking back at Wyatt she saw him removing his glasses with one hand and grabbing her wrist with the other. "I know you... like to collect." he muttered, coughing and drifting off slightly. Annie looked at the spectacles and then removed her backpack so she could put them inside along with Mitchell's binoculars and her father's note. She reached up and found her hat, throwing that inside her pack too.

"I'll hold on to them..." she muttered, "for when you're better. I'll wait for you, just get better now."

Wyatt shook his head and frowned. "Annie, I don't think... there _is _any... 'getting better.' Deep down you... know why I gave you them."

Annie felt her heart pounding in her chest. "I can't leave you."

"I'll be fine. I think the fighting's stopped... just go find Becca or Vince, they'll... know what to..." his attention turned to look down the road as if he had spotted something. "B-! Boh!" he half yelled, half choked. Annie looked down the street too, recognising a familiar shape.

"Help!" she cried, "Wyatt needs help!"

The figure turned to look at them and then picked up speed, eventually breaking into a run. Annie watched as Bonnie almost slid into a crouching position on Wyatt's other side, staring at his wound with her bruised face. "Oh, no." she sighed.

"_Help him!"_ Annie cried. "Do something!"

Wyatt shook his head. "Bonnie... you need to get Annie away. Find someone, please, dude. I don't want her to stick around... for what happens."

"Bonnie, help Wyatt!" Annie growled through gritted teeth, like a child that wasn't getting what they wanted. "Help him!"

"A-are you sure?!" Bonnie asked Wyatt. "I can try and find help-"

"No!" Wyatt yelled. "Get. Annie. Away. She's... the priority here... man!"

Bonnie slowly got to her feet, unsure, and advanced on Annie. In response the child desperately gripped onto Wyatt's arm, determined to stay with him. She was sure he would get better, he just needed rest and then he'd be able to get up and come with them.

"Come on, kiddo," Bonnie sighed, miserable. "We have to go. It's what he wants." She placed her hands on the child's shoulders and attempted to prise her away from the man.

"I can't get up. Bonnie can't help both of us." Wyatt groaned, smiling at Annie for some odd reason. "Please, Annie. Do this for... me."

Annie sniffled and relaxed her muscles, allowing Bonnie to get the leverage she needed to lift the child off of her feet and into her arms. "Help him..." Annie muttered weakly, her head drooping and looking at the muddy ground.

Bonnie made it ten or so steps before Annie looked back at Wyatt over the woman's shoulder. Feeling a burning passion to get back to the man, Annie kicked and fidgeted in an attempt to free herself and run back, but Bonnie wouldn't let her.

"He wants you to be safe!" Bonnie cried. "Don't make this hard!"

"SHUT UP!" Annie screamed, "HELP HIM!" she looked at the man, barely able to make out tears in his eyes as his smile fell into a depressed frown. "WYATT!" she cried, a deep, cavernous breath finding its way down her throat as she heaved. "WYAATTTTT!"

It didn't take long before Annie stopped attempting to make words, balling her hands up and pounding at Bonnie's shoulder blades as the woman carried her away. She screamed a terrible, high-pitched squeal of a seven-year-old and reached out to Wyatt as the man faded onto the horizon, but the man only shook his head as his eyebrows twitched nervously.

Just like that, with the expression on the man's disappearing face, Annie gave up. Her shoulders slumped and she let her head hang over Bonnie's shoulder as the woman carried her away, her eyes still streaming with no sign of letting up.

Eventually she could no longer see Wyatt or the tree he was slumped against. He was the man who had saved her from Howe's, the one who had asked her name and had looked after her, the one who had kept her secrets and trusted her, defended her from everything, the man who had always come to her aid.

He had been like a second father to her, a father much better than the one she had been born to, and a father much more short lived.

And now he was gone.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Vince – 15:17pm<strong>

Breaths escaped Vince's throat hastily and dryly. After the whole 'Shaw' deal he had wandered for about ten minutes, no one crossing his path.

That was, until he found Phil.

Terrified as soon as he set eyes on Vince, the Sanctum soldier raised his hands, his weapon dropping harmlessly to the floor. Vince had almost shot him on the spot before he realised that the man was just a man, a scared man who had been told to fight by Shaw and Silas, people he was frightened of.

Guessing that they were gone, Phil decided to surrender and pray for his survival. Noting that the man had renounced Sanctum and their orders over him, Vince had stared the man down, studying his eyes for any sign that the man was planning to betray his trust if he was set free. Finding nothing, Vince had walked over to him, grabbed the scruff of his jacket and thrust him down the street, only ordering him to "Go."

All the man had done for the entire battle was shoot Tyler and that had only been a scrape. Vince truly didn't believe he wanted to kill anyone, so he allowed the man to leave the city and repent for what he had taken part in, just like he had done with Donald all those months ago. Phil wasn't a threat any more, so he could go and find a group, live his life and forget about Sanctum.

His feet were firmly planted on the same spot of dirt, just ahead of where Phil had been kneeling before Vince had set him free. He had been standing there for about ten minutes now. He was giving himself a moment to breathe; soon enough he'd turn back around and scour the city for his allies; Wyatt, Becca, Annie, Bonnie, Sully and Em, Tyler, Lowell and Tessa.

The forest ahead of him was not so thick; a few trees were scattered around but they didn't continue for much further than five metres before opening out onto a hill – perhaps he could get a better view of the town from there and work out where everybody was. It couldn't hurt to try.

Sucking air through his gritted teeth, Vince began walking away from the town, through the trees and up the hill, his aching muscles paining him with every movement. As his feet brushed through the tall, unkempt grass that covered the hill, Vince turned and looked back at the town, barely able to see through his right eye, the skin surrounding it purple and swelled due to the beating Tyler had given him the morning before.

He could no longer hear shooting; both his own group and Sanctum's had either run out of ammunition or they were all dead. Without a noise to follow it would be near impossible for him to track anyone down without giving himself away. How on earth would he find Becca like he had sworn to and how would he get anyone to Eastland to set up camp there? He shouldn't have left Hector behind.

There was nothing for it; he would scour the outskirts of the city and if he couldn't find anyone he would have to head to Indiana himself and pray that the others decided to do the same. If they all had the same destination in mind they would hopefully meet up at some point down the line.

Turning to circumnavigate the town, Vince spied movement in the trees. Wrapping his fingers around the grip of his pistol he withdrew the weapon and made sure it was loaded. Two bullets left.

Advancing on the trees Vince sighed with relief as the familiar form of Bonnie appeared in front of him. It took a moment for her to notice him as he realised that she was carrying Annie. Though the right side of her face was red and her eye was pink and swollen like his own Vince could clearly make out tears running down the woman's face as the child she was holding hung limply from her shoulders.

"Bonnie!" Vince gasped, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Is it Annie? Is she okay? Where's Wyatt and Becca?"

Bonnie shook her head and looked at him. "Annie's fine, it's Wyatt... he's gone."

Vince's eyes widened and he took a step back, glancing around and searching the area as if it was all some sort of joke and Wyatt would appear at any moment. "...What?" he gasped. "What happened?"

"I don't know, I..." Bonnie ran a hand through her hair, "I think he got shot, I only got there... when it was too late. He wasn't gettin' up, he told me to take her and go." she gestured towards Annie using a slight tilt of her head. "I could only help one of 'em."

Vince wiped his brow with the back of his hand and looked around once more. "Becca. Where's Becca?"

"I ain't seen her since we all started shootin'," Bonnie explained. "God, this is all so fucked!"

Turning to walk back into the town, Vince gave orders. "We need to go back in there and find them – now."

Bonnie grabbed his shoulder. "There ain't no goin' back in there, Vince - the place is full of walkers. We'll only get ourselves killed!"

Vince snarled as realisation hit him; there was no getting in that town, just as there was no getting out for those inside it. Growling, Vince's free hand curled into a fist and he fired a reckless punch into a tree trunk, instantly regretting it as he withdrew his now-brusied knuckles. "Son of a bitch!" he growled.

"Come on," Bonnie moaned, "Let's just find somewhere safe, get our heads together or somethin'. Then we can look for the others."

Vince huffed in frustration. He was powerless now, with no option but to find somewhere safe, make sure Annie was okay and then attempt to head out and find Becca, Hector and whoever else had potentially survived.

Wiping his face on his sleeve, Vince ignored the town behind him, now set on finding a safe place for the night. He _could _search for Becca for the rest of his life but he'd get nowhere if he didn't have the energy for it. He needed rest and then he'd be able to look for her. Grabbing Bonnie's wrist, he pulled the woman further up the hill as she cradled Annie's still form.

One frustrated, one depressed and the last unresponsive, the three of them crept through the tall grass, putting it all behind them until they were in a better position to search for their friends.

"Come on," Vince muttered, his eyes resting on the ground as they turned their backs on the past, "Let's just... let's just go."

**END OF SEASON TWO**

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading Into The Fray once again, it's been fun. Huge thanks and props to those who have stuck with the series since I started it, we've come a long way since 14<strong>**th**** June 2014. Weird how I've written over 100 chapters in just six months.**

**Just so you know, Season Three isn't on the cards right now. Since around chapter 10 of Season 2 there was a significant drop in reader interaction and general interest which really hasn't helped my confidence in this story, or my motivation. I can't stress enough how important to me it is and how appreciative I would be if you left a review on this final chapter giving your thoughts overall. I can't improve without feedback.**

**This Season ended on a bit of a downer, what with Wyatt's fate and Vince, Bonnie and Annie being the only confirmed survivors while Becca's chances of survival aren't exactly hopeful on her own, surrounded by walkers. I've left plenty of unanswered questions along with several plot lines in my head just in case I ever want to come back and write another sequel but I don't think I'll be up for it, at least for a while.**

**Just like I mentioned at the end of Season One, the wiki (twdgff . wikia . com) is still up and running with ITF2 characters, image mockups of how they look and everything, as well as a tumblr account (intothefraywd . tumblr. com) where I'll post news and reblog any art/posts relating to the fic if anyone does that kind of thing. In the event that I start up a third Season I'll add a new chapter here telling you guys about it, though you'll only see that if you're following this story.**

**Once again, thanks for reading, especially if you managed to follow it through from start to finish.**

**It's been fun.**

**-TS.**

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><p><strong>Into The Fray: Season Two<strong>

**24th September 2014 - 3rd December 2014**


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